Final answer:
During the physical exam for a nursing assessment of a client with peripheral vascular disease, complaints of pain are not assessed, as pain is a subjective symptom that is difficult to measure precisely. Objective measurements include capillary refill, skin temperature, and vital signs.
Step-by-step explanation:
The aspect that is not assessed during the physical exam of the nursing assessment of a client with peripheral vascular disease is complaints of pain. Unlike signs, which are objective and measurable, symptoms such as pain are subjective and felt by the patient, making them difficult to measure accurately during a physical assessment. While capillary refill, skin temperature, and vital signs are quantifiable and can be directly observed, pain typically requires patient participation and self-reporting to ascertain severity, often with scales such as the Wong-Baker Faces pain-rating scale or through measurement of skin conductance fluctuations.
Vital signs, including body temperature, heart rate, breathing rate, and blood pressure, are key signs of disease because they are objective measurements. These are assessed during a physical exam, as changes in vital signs may be indicative of disease or other health issues. In a patient with peripheral vascular disease, a physical exam will include the assessment of capillary refill, which reflects blood flow to the extremities, and skin temperature, which can indicate blood circulation and vascular health. However, the subjective experience of pain, while important, is not 'measured' during a physical assessment in the same way, but assessed and quantified through patient communication.