Which of the following are objective findings?

A. Chest pain is incorrect because it is a subjective finding. Subjective findings are symptoms that the client experiences and reports, but the nurse cannot directly measure or observe them. Chest pain is based on the client’s description of discomfort, pressure, or tightness in the chest, making it reliant on self-report rather than objective assessment. B. Palpitations is incorrect because it is also subjective. Clients may describe sensations of their heart racing, skipping beats, or fluttering, but these sensations cannot be observed directly without using diagnostic tools such as an electrocardiogram (ECG) or heart rate monitoring. C. Shortness of breath is incorrect because it is subjective. Although the nurse can measure respiratory rate, oxygen saturation, and work of breathing, the client’s feeling of being “unable to breathe adequately” is a symptom reported by the client and is therefore subjective, not an observable sign. D. Tenderness on palpation of anterior chest is correct because it is an objective finding. Objective findings are observable or measurable by the nurse through physical assessment, laboratory tests, or imaging. When a nurse palpates the chest and notes tenderness, this can be directly verified and documented, making it a concrete, measurable sign rather than a self-reported symptom.