The health care practitioner such as a nurse, physician, D.O., or therapist, will ask a series of questions and perform routine assessments to determine the status of the patient’s basic signs and symptoms. If further evaluation is indicated, more questions and physical assessment will follow.
Symptoms are Subjective
Symptoms are described as subjective, meaning that only the patient perceives and experiences them. They are not outwardly visible to others. It is important therefore, that the patient be as descriptive as possible to help the practitioner assess and evaluate these symptoms.
For instance if a person is experiencing pain, the more detailed the patient can be in describing the pain, the better the practitioner can diagnose the illness and address the pain issues. Pain is very subjective and varies widely. One person might be highly sensitive to even the mildest pain and another person might tolerate intense pain before complaining about it.
If the patient can pinpoint the location of the pain, the intensity and the duration of the pain, this can help the practitioner to diagnose the cause of the pain. If the patient also has other symptoms such as nausea and vomiting, the practitioner will try to determine if these are related to the cause of the pain or if they are a reaction to the pain.
Sometimes symptoms are vague, and the patient just doesn’t feel well. Nothing specific seems to be wrong, he just doesn’t feel good. If the feeling goes away with some rest, he may have just been overly tired. If the feeling intensifies and symptoms become more pronounced, an illness may be brewing.
A mild headache, a stuffy nose or an occasional cough might be ignored as individual symptoms, but if they all come at once, they will be harder to ignore. If they are coupled with fever, chills and body aches, it may be time to call the practitioner.
Vital Signs
When a patient presents with a series of symptoms, the practitioner assesses the basic vital signs first. These include temperature, heart rate (pulse), blood pressure, respirations, and pain.
There are basic parameters established for vital signs that represent “normal” and anything outside of these parameters indicates a problem such as fever, hypertension, hyperventilation, etc., which may be related to or contributing to the illness or injury.
Signs are Objective
Signs are the physical manifestation of symptoms, illness or injury. Signs are objective, meaning that they can be seen, heard, felt, or measured. For example, bruising, bleeding, swelling and discoloration are all signs. They can be seen, felt, smelled, and/or measured.
When seeking medical attention it is important to present as complete a picture as possible to help with the diagnosis. When practitioners have to rely solely on the signs and their physical manifestations, a diagnosis can take much longer and may not be as accurate.
