AlphaMED Resources · https://alphamedicine.uk/Resources/glossary/signs-symptoms
Signs vs symptoms
A symptom is what the patient feels and reports. A sign is what someone else can observe or measure.
Summary
- A symptom is subjective evidence of a condition as reported by the person, such as pain or dizziness, which only the person can feel.
- A sign is an objective indication of a condition as perceptible to the examiner, such as a raised temperature or a rash that a clinician sees.
- A clinician's rule of thumb is that a symptom is what the patient complains of, and a sign is what the clinician observes. Some findings fall in both groups: a rash or a fever can be reported by the patient and also seen or measured by the clinician.
- Who notices the finding decides which it is, whatever its seriousness. A mild headache is a symptom and a serious blood pressure reading is a sign.
Interview questions
- What is the difference between a sign and a symptom?
- A patient tells you they feel dizzy, and when you check their blood pressure it is low. Which is the symptom and which is the sign?
- When a patient's account and the examination disagree, which should a doctor trust more, and why might the other still matter?
Sources
- v2.datadictionary.nhs.ukv2.datadictionary.nhs.uk/…/clinical_sign_or_symptom_de.asp@shownav=1.html
- PubMed Centralpmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/…/PMC3845746
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