A Young Couple Brings Their 3-Month Old Baby to the Emergency

Multiple Choice

A young couple brings their 3-month old baby to the emergency department where you work as a triage nurse. The parents tell you that the baby had a runny nose, low grade fever, and mild cough two days earlier, which they assumed was a cold. However, the cough has become significantly worse and they are really worried about the gasping sound the child makes when breathing in after a coughing spell. The baby's cough is so bad that she has been vomiting and is refusing to feed. You are concerned that the baby has pertussis, commonly known as whooping cough. You give the parents some information while they are waiting for a physician to examine their child.
-You examine the baby thoroughly, telling the parents that you need to record all signs and symptoms for your report to the clinician who will also assess the baby. The parents tell you they know what symptoms are but they don't know what you mean by signs. You tell them that

A) symptoms are objective and can be measured (such as fever) while signs are subjective and cannot be measured (such as pain) .
B) signs are objective and can be measured (such as pain) while symptoms are subjective and cannot be measured (such as a rash) .
C) symptoms are objective and can be measured (such as pain) while signs are subjective and cannot be measured (such as a rash) .
D) signs are objective and can be measured (such as fever) while symptoms are subjective and cannot be measured (such as nausea) .
E) signs and symptoms mean the same thing, and can be used interchangeably.