CDMS Medical Aspects of Disability and Case Management 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which classification system is used internationally to describe functioning, disability, and health in disability management?
- The AMA Guides to Evaluation of Permanent Impairment
- The International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) (Correct answer)
- The DSM-5 diagnostic criteria
- The Social Security Administration Listing of Impairments
Correct answer: The International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF)
The ICF provides a framework for describing functional states associated with health conditions, covering body functions/structures, activity, and participation.
Question 2: In the context of disability management, what does 'impairment' refer to?
- Any restriction in performing a life activity
- Abnormality of body structure or function at the organ or body system level (Correct answer)
- The inability to maintain competitive employment
- A legal determination by a court or agency
Correct answer: Abnormality of body structure or function at the organ or body system level
Impairment is a deviation from normal in a body structure or physiological function, as defined by medical assessment.
Question 3: Which pain assessment scale is most commonly used in clinical and occupational health settings to quantify pain intensity?
- The Beck Depression Inventory
- The Numeric Rating Scale (NRS) 0–10 (Correct answer)
- The Oswestry Disability Index
- The Waddell Signs assessment
Correct answer: The Numeric Rating Scale (NRS) 0–10
The 0–10 Numeric Rating Scale is a widely used, validated tool for measuring subjective pain intensity in clinical practice.
Question 4: What is the 'biopsychosocial model' of disability?
- A model that attributes disability solely to biological factors
- A framework recognizing that biological, psychological, and social factors all interact to influence disability (Correct answer)
- A medical classification system used for insurance billing
- A workers' compensation formula for calculating benefits
Correct answer: A framework recognizing that biological, psychological, and social factors all interact to influence disability
The biopsychosocial model holds that health and disability result from interactions among biological, psychological, and social factors, not medical factors alone.
Question 5: What are Waddell's signs used to assess in occupational and disability medicine?
- The degree of joint range-of-motion limitation
- Non-organic physical signs that may indicate psychosocial contributions to pain behavior (Correct answer)
- The presence of malingering in workers' compensation claimants
- Neurological deficits from spinal cord injuries
Correct answer: Non-organic physical signs that may indicate psychosocial contributions to pain behavior
Waddell's signs are five physical examination findings that, when positive in combination, suggest psychosocial rather than structural contributions to pain.
Question 6: Which comorbidity is most associated with delayed recovery and prolonged disability after musculoskeletal injury?
- Hypertension
- Depression and anxiety disorders (Correct answer)
- Type 2 diabetes
- Hyperlipidemia
Correct answer: Depression and anxiety disorders
Depression and anxiety are strongly associated with delayed return to work and prolonged disability across multiple injury types.
CDMS Medical Aspects of Disability and Case Management 1
Which classification system is used internationally to describe functioning, disability, and health in disability management?