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Prediction of occupational disability from psychological and neuropsychological evidence in forensic context

2016; Elsevier BV; Volume: 49; Linguagem: Inglês

10.1016/j.ijlp.2016.10.005

1873-6386

Izabela Z. Schultz, Ada K. Law, Leanna C. Cruikshank,

Occupational Health and Performance

Within the fields of psychiatry, psychology, and neuropsychology, medical examiners are often tasked with providing an opinion about an injured individual's health prognosis and likelihood of returning to work. Traditionally, examiners have conducted such assessments by employing clinical intuition, expert knowledge, and judgment. More recently, however, an accumulation of research on factors predictive of disability has allowed examiners to provide prognostications using specific empirically supported evidence. This paper integrates current evidence for four common clinical issues encountered in forensic assessments—musculoskeletal pain, depression, Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, and traumatic brain injury. It discusses an evidence-informed, cross-diagnostic and multifactorial model of predicting disability that is emerging from the literature synthesis, along with recommendations for best forensic assessment practice.