Dictionary

Signs and symptoms

What a client reports and what a nurse observes, named the way charts and handoffs name them.

ulcerAn open sore where the skin or the lining of an organ has broken down.

unconsciousnessA state in which a person is not awake or aware and cannot respond normally to voice, touch or what is around them.

unsteadinessA feeling of being off balance or likely to fall while standing or walking.

urgencyA sudden, strong need to pass urine that is hard to put off.

urinary incontinenceLeaking of urine that a person cannot control.

urinary retentionBeing unable to empty the bladder completely, or at all.

urticariaHives: raised, red, itchy welts on the skin.