Objective is what can be observed. Subjective is what the patient says it is.
Objective vs subjective symptoms . . . what a great question . . . objectivity can be complex . . . like what you see may not be what is portrayed by the patient . . . and sometimes what the patient or family may say, does not reflect the reality of a situation . . . a good health assessment will enable a great nurse to discover things about a patients illness experience . . . a families experience with the ill person who may care for them . . . my thinking is there are ways you can learn to blend both subjective and objective information about systems that can inform a nurse-patient relationship, the relationships that you create, that can become much more as you learn to explore those symptoms and what those symptoms may mean for the patient . . .
