The difference between signs and symptoms in First Aid.

Many people in First Aid training talk about the “signs & symptoms” of a patient.

So you might think they are the same thing, especially when you hear these two words often being used together by a First Aid Trainer. But they’re definitely not.

For example, you can usually clearly see when someone is experiencing pain by the look they have on their face. Often they will be screwing up their face, grimacing or even looking shocked or pale. This is a sign of injury or trauma.

But you may not know what their symptoms are unless you ask them. Many symptoms are internal and they do not necessarily include pain.

Signs are generally EXTERNAL. Symptoms are often INTERNAL (but not always). And that's the trap if you don't know the difference.

What are the signs of someone needing first aid?

Signs are generally what you see when you first encounter someone who might be experiencing some sort of trauma or injury that could require first aid. For example an obvious injury, bleeding, brusing, the person holding their injured body part, etc

Put simply, a sign is something that you can either see, hear, feel or measure. You use your own senses to discover these signs.

Our own eyes can tell us a lot about a potential injury to a person. For example does the area the person is complaining about look swollen or discoloured? If it’s a knee, wrist, ankle etc, how does it look compared to the other one? Is the person guarding the area, shielding it or rubbing it? Are they sweating or shivering? Can you see any blood?

Touch is another sense that tells us so much. Is the area painful to touch? Can you feel a raised temperature on the person’s brow? Does the limb feel swollen or tight, compared to the other limb?

Hearing also helps us measure signs. Breathing for example is often a telling sign of trauma. Can you hear the person struggling for air? Are they making raspy or gurgling sounds when trying to breathe? (It may be hard to hear in a noisy environment, but the sounds someone makes can be very important.)

If the person is making raspy sounds when breathing they may be doing "agonal breathing" - read this article for more info. https://www.resultsfirstaid.com/post/when-is-gasping-not-breathing

Finally, your sense of smell can also measure signs. For example, can you smell alcohol on the patient’s breath? Or how about vomit? Have they been incontinent?

Combined with other factors these signs can also be important and should be noted.

What are symptoms and how do they differ from signs?

Symptoms differ from signs in that they are what the person themselves is experiencing as opposed to what you can tell from your own observations.

Most often people will be able to tell you what symptoms they are experiencing, which you may not yourself be able to see for yourself, especially if they are internal.

(Of course, if they are unconscious, semi-conscious or too young to speak, they may not be able to tell you any of the symptoms they are experiencing.)

Asking a person to tell you if they are experiencing dizziness, nausea, internal pain, cramping, feelings of extreme heat or cold, are all ways to understand the symptoms the patient is experiencing.

Your questions can help. If the person is rubbing a particular area, ask if they can describe the pain – stabbing, dull or in a specific area? If a part of their body looks swollen and injured ask how severe the pain is, can they touch it, what sort of pain is it?

If someone looks pale and unwell you can ask for more details on exactly how they feel. When did the feelings start? How did they feel before? Have they done anything they think might be causing these feelings?

How signs and symptoms together show a clearer picture

Hopefully you can see now how there is a clear difference between signs and symptoms.

Signs are things we can observe ourselves.

Symptoms are what the patient is experiencing and can report to us.

When combined together they can make up a much clearer picture of what is going on for the person. Clearer than if you only referred to one or the other.

When providing first aid to someone, it’s important to gather as much information as possible from the patient including all their signs and symptoms. Always note or record them so that when more professional help arrives, like an ambulance, nurse or doctor, you can quickly debrief them.

Always remember as well, to note how a patient’s signs or symptoms may have changed over time as this too can be critical for a medical professional.

Has their temperature gone up or down? Has the pain increased or decreased? Has their breathing become shallower or better?

To discover more about the various signs and symptoms of someone requiring first aid and what they can tell you about how to help them, you are best to do a proper, professional first aid course. Like the ones we offer at Results First Aid.

We provide both in-person training at our advanced training centre in Truganina. Or you can do what is called blended training where you do most of the training from home or work, and only come in for a short assessment to get your certificate.

To find out more about our courses or book click here: https://www.resultsfirstaid.com/courses