Upper respiratory disease is a term that encompasses acute infections ranging from the benign common cold to life-threatening conditions (e.g., epiglottitis). Cases of upper respiratory disease are easy to recognize because the patients will complain about the following symptoms (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2016):
Runny nose (always)
Sore throat (always) Coughing (common, usually in cases of viral etiology) Sneezing (common, usually in cases of viral etiology) Other symptoms depend on the patient’s age, medical history, and the pathogen causing the infection, so it is important to conduct a thorough assessment which consists of the following steps:
Interview the patient.
Perform ...
