What it means
An objective finding: it can be observed or measured by someone other than the client. Vital signs, swelling, skin color, lung sounds and lab results are all signs. Many signs carry the name of the person who described them, such as Homans sign. What the client feels and reports is a symptomSIMP-tumSomething a person feels and reports that others cannot see or measure, such as pain, nausea or dizziness.Full entry .
For the nurse
Write signs as exact, measurable facts rather than opinions ("2 cm red area on left heel", not "heel looks bad").
In a chart
"Signs: temperature 38.9 °C, heart rate 112, skin warm and flushed."
Remember it
You can see a sign; the client says a symptom.
At a glance
| Spanish | signo |
|---|---|
| Also written | signs |
Easy to confuse with
symptom
Something a person feels and reports that others cannot see or measure, such as pain, nausea or dizziness.
Related terms
assess
To gather information about a client by looking, listening, asking, measuring and examining.
vital signs
The basic body measurements: temperature, pulse, breathing rate and blood pressure, often with oxygen saturation and pain.
symptom
Something a person feels and reports that others cannot see or measure, such as pain, nausea or dizziness.
sign and symptom
The findings of an illness taken together: what can be seen or measured (signs) and what the person feels and reports (symptoms).