Guides to the Evaluation of Permanent Impairment

Widely accepted as the most reliable medical reference on impairment evaluation since its inception in 1971, the Guides is highly valued by physicians who use its authoritative chapters to determine how to assess for impairment. The new edition of the Guides continues to build from this legacy by focusing on physician interrater reliability through an updated consensus approach that considers the latest evidence and patient function. The result is a new standard that seeks to evaluate impairment using a series of uniform grids for each chapter. Features and Benefits Required clinical information needed to rate a given condition Contemporary, evidence-based concepts and terminology of disablement from the ICF Standardized approach across organ systems and chapters that allows evaluators to document functional assessment, clinical tests and physical findings Uniform grids for each organ system that arrange commonly used ICD-9 diagnoses within the five classes of impairment severity, according to the consensus-based dominant criterion Step-by-step grading instructions in each chapter to promote consistent scoring Covering every body system, the Sixth Edition provides a standardized approach to determine impairment assessment using patient history, physical examination and clinical tests. Uniformity and ease of use is stressed to provide a consistent rating for conditions in each of the body systems using evidence based methodologies and, when lacking, a consensus approach.