Client History Intake forms. What are they good for? Why should we, as massage therapists, use them?
Well, to start with, it is a legal requirement in most states that you keep records on your clientele. We are required to keep ALL client personal information for a minimum of one year. Please check the state where you live for similar requirements.
Client History Intake forms allow for a place to record information that can help you remember particular information about your clients such as; birthdays, anniversaries, children and spouse names, etc., so that you are able to converse with your client in a more personal way. We all want to make each client feel as if they are our only client.
Client History Intake forms can be very helpful, if you use them wisely. Collecting information from your client can help you in formulating a plan of care for them. It also gives you information about your client’s expectations.
A good Client History Intake form includes personal and contact information as well as health and medical history. Important general biographical information includes such items as below:
- Name, address, preferred phone numbers, e-mails, text numbers, etc
- Current date
- Date of birth. The client may opt to not offer that information, but if you at least have the month, a birthday greeting with a discount coupon might turn that client into a regular customer, not to mention a great referral to others about how wonderful you are.
- Emergency contact. Hopefully this is not something that you will ever have use, but you would not want to be without in case of emergency.
- Regular physician and phone number. This is quite important if you are working with insurance or workman’s comp.
- Name of person referring to your office. If a client refers someone new to you, giving them a discount can encourage further referrals to you by them.
- Conditions or situations that have relevance to a massage therapist. Are they allergic or sensitive to certain lubricants, foods, scents?
- Checklist for specific medical/health conditions, such as allergies, infections, past surgeries, past accidents, pregnant/nursing etc.
Tips for documenting:
- Include the therapist’s name, signature and date of the session on the form.
- Use blue ink, as it’s easier to see any changes that might have to be made.
- Correct error with a single line and initial.
- Write legibly.
- Use sentence fragments to highlight vital information. If things are too lengthy, people will skip over possibly very important information.
- Use direct quotes when possible.
As you can see, gathering information can play a very important role in the success of your business.
There are many free downloadable Client History Intake forms available on the internet. Look at some of them and discern what items might be most important for your particular business. Make it brief, one page-one sided is preferable.
Below is an example:
Please find and compare at least 3 different Client History Intake forms and share your findings with us.
- What do you like best about each?
- What do you not like about each?
- What changes would you make to each?
I looked at a few of them and I like the ones that have a diagram of the body so the client can use to indicate where they are having problems.
Client intake forms are very important for both the client and the therapist. I am excited to find one that will be right for me. They definitely need the body diagram.
I like some things in this intake form, like the body diagram. However, I want more “personal” touches with my intake form. I really like the music section. I think I will have that in mine. Also, maybe add what is your fav scent and see if there is an essential oil that reminds them of that smell.
Of the forms I looked at I think I like the ones that have a diagram of the body on it so client or you can make trouble areas, I also liked knowing if client had ever received a massage before because if they haven’t it they may be a little uneasy and you can do more to put them at ease. I also like the birthday area so you can send them a Happy Birthday wishes or a discount, that always make people happy.
I liked the pictures and how they were one page. I also like the boxes with the questions in it. So things I didn’t like were the headers. I would print it on a good paper but a little fun. I really like this blog :))
I look at the client intake forms as a pre-interview. I need to know information about my client for current and future references. I want to what they like as far as the type Of massage they want and also most importantly their health history. I also like the birthday idea.
Of the intake forms I’ve seen two were very busy and in my opinion, possibly frustrating for a client to have to sit and fill all that out before being able to receive their massage. I liked how the two were informational and you knew exactly what was going on with the client. However, you can find out exactly whats wrong with the client in fewer words such as the third intake form i viewed. It had not too much information for the client to give but not too little either which I think is ideal.
Thanks for the info, very helpful. BTW, if anyone needs to fill out a “2013 IRS 13614-C”, I found a blank form here:http://pdf.ac/4n3hQs
A unique topic and good article.The comments are also interesting.nice
I like that you can use the form to ask about pressure, music and goals for the massage. This makes it easier to personalize the session for the client.