Difficulties in symptom recognition in infants

The subject of symptom recognition in infants is just beginning to be explored in nursing literature; the process may be more difficult that it originally appears. Because symptoms are subjective and their identification is dependent on communication between the client and the nurse or caretaker, it becomes important to assist nurses, parents, and other health care providers in this process. This article discusses the impact of cues, developmental aspects, and inferences as they influence the identification of symptoms experienced by infants.