Assessing disability in the pain patient is often difficult due to both administrative and clinical issues, yet this assessment is essential. Administratively, it is complicated by numerous states, federal, and private systems and policies with different definitions and benefit systems. Clinically, quantifying pain remains problematic as chronic pain is a subjective phenomenon, often associated with confounding behavioral, characterological, personality, and psychological issues. Additionally, the terms impairment and disability are often misunderstood. Furthermore, underlying personality structure and motivation are often determinates for disability. Chronic-pain complaints may be linked with significant disability. Typically, the physician does not define “disability”; rather, the physician defines clinical issues, functional deficits, and, when requested, impairment. Disability is most often an administrative determination.
CITATION STYLE
Feinberg, S. D., & Brigham, C. R. (2015). Assessing Disability in the Pain Patient. In Treatment of Chronic Pain by Integrative Approaches (pp. 285–297). Springer New York. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-1821-8_23
Mendeley helps you to discover research relevant for your work.