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Selecting within a range

We are often asked for advice about selecting a discrete number within a range provided by a table. Page 496 in AMA5 specifically outlines that grading is to be undertaken, and this is reaffirmed in 1.43 in the Impairment Assessment Guidelines (PDF, 1194 KB) on page 10 in dot point 2. This philosophy is widespread throughout the Guides.

There are many tables and figures in various chapters that present this challenge. However, as always in medicine, a clinically-reasoned approach will get you to home base safely.

You are all accustomed to grading a clinical condition as mild, moderate or severe and do so as a normal part of daily practice, so why not transfer this skill and experience and apply it to the range of values?

How to apply your clinical reasoning:

  1. You have a range to select from a Class or Grade - for example, take Grade 4 from T16-10a on page 482
  2. The range is 1 to 25 with a set of multiple descriptors that define the Grade
  3. Within this Grade, is the impact mild? If so, the number is between 1-8
  4. Now where does it fit in this range of 1-8? Mid-range? The clinically-reasoned answer is 4. Using your existing knowledge and applying it in such a manner will demystify this challenge for you and allow a reasoned and fair value across all such configured charts.