A 78-year-old male presents to the emergency department reporting a 2-day history of difficulty breathing, cough, and chest pain. Upon triage assessment, the patient is found to have a fever, rapid rate of breathing, low oxygen saturation, and crackles upon auscultation of the lungs. A chest X-ray reveals consolidation in the right upper lung field. The patient is diagnosed with pneumonia, initiated on oxygen therapy, and admitted for observation and treatment.
-As the emergency department RN,you document the care and assessment of the patient in the chart prior to transfer to an inpatient unit.What is the most appropriate term for the clinical manifestations of disease as reported by the patient?

Question

A 78-year-old male presents to the emergency department reporting a 2-day history of difficulty breathing, cough, and chest pain. Upon triage assessment, the patient is found to have a fever, rapid rate of breathing, low oxygen saturation, and crackles upon auscultation of the lungs. A chest X-ray reveals consolidation in the right upper lung field. The patient is diagnosed with pneumonia, initiated on oxygen therapy, and admitted for observation and treatment.
-As the emergency department RN,you document the care and assessment of the patient in the chart prior to transfer to an inpatient unit.What is the most appropriate term for the clinical manifestations of disease as reported by the patient?

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Symptoms are the subjective experiences reported by the patient, such as difficulty breathing, cough, and chest pain. Signs are objective findings that can be observed or measured, such as a fever, rapid rate of breathing, low oxygen saturation, and crackles upon auscultation of the lungs. Syndromes refer to a group of signs and symptoms that occur together and are characteristic of a particular disease or condition. In this case, the patient is experiencing symptoms and signs of pneumonia, but this does not constitute a syndrome. Therefore, the most appropriate term for the patient's clinical manifestations is "symptoms."

A 78-Year-Old Male Presents to the Emergency Department Reporting a 2-Day