Which of the following is an objective sign?

• A. Pain Described by Patient
• B. Nausea Reported by Patient
• C. Fever Reported by Patient
• D. Elevated Blood Pressure Reading

Answer: (D)

An objective sign is something you can observe or measure directly, independent of what the patient reports. A blood pressure reading fits this because it’s obtained with a cuff and gauge and yields a numeric value that anyone can verify. The other items are based on the patient’s own experience or report, making them subjective: pain described by the patient is a personal sensation, nausea is a symptom the patient reports, and fever described by the patient reflects their experience rather than an independently measured value (fever would be objective if documented as an actual temperature measurement). Understanding this distinction helps clinicians document what can be verified through measurement versus what the patient conveys about how they feel.