What's the diference between subjective and objective data?

[Crystal Baker Shoaie]

Do you usually think of the patients' comments and answers as data?

For example, when the patient tells you about feeling pain, fatigue, or thirst? The patients often give the first clues to the condition or health issue, and this is important subjective information or data that leads to objective testing and observation.  You can read about combining subjective and objective data to end up with an accurate diagnosis and establish trust with your patient, in this article: https://nursa.com/blog/subjective-vs-objective-data.

[Karin Zonneveld]

Awesome! I remember a nurse who saved a friend's life just because she listened to how he was feeling. She was insistent enough to tell everyone to run the right tests, and they discovered that he needed surgery immediately. I think sometimes you need a bit of experience to be able to use subjective data!