title: Back impairment and disability determination. Another attempt at objective, reliable rating.
abstract: Present disability evaluation schedules for the low back are not scientifically based and produce very great interexaminer differences. The authors have developed a new impairment schedule based on a comprehensive review of the medical literature and the collected opinions of a large number of back specialists. Tests of the new schedule show a marked decrease in interexaminer differences compared to the prior California disability rating schedule. The impairment schedule can be readily adapted to any legal system of disability rating and can be modified easily to reflect new medical knowledge. The result should be a disability rating which is more objective, more scientifically valid, and more consistent, reducing litigation, with fairness to both the low-back impaired worker and the employer.
authors.affiliation: Medical Bureau, Division of Industrial Accidents, State of California, San Francisco.
authors.forename: W L
authors.initials: WL
authors.lastname: Clark
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Haldeman
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Johnson
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Morris
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Schulenberger
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Trauner
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: White
mesh_terms: D004185:Disability Evaluation / Q000592:standards; D006801:Humans; D013122:Spinal Diseases / Q000503:physiopathology*; D014891:Weight Lifting