A client comes into the clinic with complaints of “extreme” low back p

A client comes into the clinic with complaints of “extreme” low back pain after helping to move a heavy object. The client is pale and diaphoretic and walks bent at the waist.

Before taking vital signs, the nurse projects that the blood pressure as well as heart rate will be elevated. This is an example of which of the following?
1. Fact
2. Inference
3. Judgment
4. Opinion

ANSWER

Correct Answer: 2
Rationale: Inferences are conclusions drawn from facts, going beyond facts to make a statement about something that is not currently known. In this case, acute, severe pain will most likely cause the blood pressure as well as pulse rate to be elevated as the body’s response to the painful experience. Fact can be verified through investigation. In this case, fact would be the elevated pulse and blood pressure readings. Judgment is evaluating facts and information that reflect values or other criteria; it is a type of opinion. Because the nurse understands the pathophysiology of pain, thinking about changes in vital signs is more than a judgment—it is an inference. Opinions are beliefs formed over time and include judgments that may fit facts or be in error.