Which term describes personal opinions or feelings about a situation?

• A. Objective information
• B. Medical abbreviations
• C. Subjective information
• D. Sender-message-receiver model

Answer: (C)

Subjective information captures personal opinions or feelings about a situation. In healthcare, this comes from the patient’s own report—what they say about how a symptom feels, how severe it is, or how it impacts their daily life. This is different from objective information, which consists of data that can be observed or measured, such as vital signs or lab results. Medical abbreviations are shorthand used in documentation, not descriptions of how someone feels, and the sender-message-receiver model refers to how information is communicated rather than the type of information being described. So when a statement reflects personal experience or feelings, it’s subjective information. For example, a patient stating, “I have a 7 out of 10 pain,” is subjective, whereas “blood pressure is 120/80” is objective.