Which of the following is an example of a subjective observation?

Which of the following is an example of a subjective observation?

• A. The patient reports pain in the right leg
• B. The patient is pale
• C. The wound is 2 cm wide
• D. The patient has cyanosis

Answer: (A)

Subjective observations are based on what the patient reports about how they feel or what they’re experiencing. Pain is inherently subjective because only the patient can know exactly how intense or bothersome it is, and it must be conveyed by the patient. This is why “The patient reports pain in the right leg” is the example of a subjective observation. The other statements describe things you can observe or measure without asking the patient—pale skin, a wound width of 2 cm, and cyanosis. Those are objective signs because they can be seen or measured by the clinician.

Subjective observations are based on what the patient reports about how they feel or what they’re experiencing. Pain is inherently subjective because only the patient can know exactly how intense or bothersome it is, and it must be conveyed by the patient. This is why “The patient reports pain in the right leg” is the example of a subjective observation.

The other statements describe things you can observe or measure without asking the patient—pale skin, a wound width of 2 cm, and cyanosis. Those are objective signs because they can be seen or measured by the clinician.