How to Determine Whether Our Patients Can Function in the Workplace: A Missed Opportunity in Medical Training Programs

Patients often hand their physicians disability forms, and physicians too often struggle to complete them. Many physicians lack the training to complete these forms. This article aims to provide a clear understanding of impairment, limitations, restrictions, and disability. It explains how physicians can use skills they already possess to appropriately assess limitations, restrictions, and functional capacity, and it explains why accurate determinations are a vital part of good patient care.