Why to Use Client History Intake Forms in Massage Therapy

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.