THE PAIN, ENJOYMENT AND GENERAL ACTIVITY SCALE (PEG) AND WORKERS’ COMPENSATION: WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

The California Workers’ Compensation System employs various scales and tests to assist with Injured Workers’ evaluation and treatment.  One of these tests is the Pain, Enjoyment and General Activity Scale (PEG.)

This article will discuss the PEG Scale and how it can be used within the workers’ compensation system.

Why Are Scales Used in General?

Scales can be used for many reasons.   Scales are generally self-reporting. Thus, all that is needed to administer one is a pen, a clipboard, and the questionnaire. Thus, they are a cheap, quick and easy way to extract information from Injured Workers. Scales can show that an injured Worker is credible.  They can show that an Injured Worker is malingering or exaggerating. Scales can show a cry for help.

One way a scale can be used Is by comparing them to prior scales.  When compared, it can show a patient’s assessment of medical improvement or lack thereof.

Scales are employed by medical examiners, treaters and utilization review evaluators to assess the Injured Workers’ disability status, permanent disability, and whether forms of treatment are indicated and should be approved.

In an article discussing PEG, it was noted that “[t]he competing demands of primary care, in which visits are short and pain is only one of several problems warranting attention, make efficiency of assessment a paramount concern.  A balance must be found between feasibility and key characteristics such as reliability, validity, and responsiveness.”  Krebs EE, Lorenz KA, Bair MJ, et al. Development and initial validation of the PEG, a three-item scale assessing pain intensity and interference. J Gen Intern Med. 2009;24(6):733-738. doi:10.1007/s11606-009-0981-1

What Is PEG Scale’s Complete Name?  How Does It Relate to Workers’ Compensation?

The PEG Scale’s full name is the Pain, Enjoyment of Life and General Activity Scale.

California Workers’ Compensation Law employs the AMA Guides to assess permanent impairment.  In the assessment of permanent impairment, Pain is a factor that is considered.  Also, Activities of Daily Living is also a factor.

In sum, the scale overlaps some of these issues.

What Does the PEG Scale Consist Of?

The PEG Scale consists of three questions that are rated from 0 to 10.

What is the Pain Scale’s First Question?

The first question is “what number best describes your pain on average in the past week?”

How is the First Scale Question Answered?

The question is answered in a 0 to 10 scale. 0 being “no pain” to 10 being “pain as bad as you can imagine.”

What is the Second Question of the Pain Scale?

The second question is “what number best describes how, during the past week, pain has interfered with your enjoyment of life?”

How is the Second Question Answered?

The question is answered in a 0 to 10 scale. 0 being “does not interfere” to 10 being “completely interferes.”

What is the Third Question on the Pain Scale?

The third question is “what number best describes how, during the past week, pain has interfered with your general activity?”

How is the Third Question Answered?

The question is answered in a 0 to 10 scale. 0 being “does not interfere” to 10, “completely interferes.”

How is the PEG Scale Scored?

The scale is scored by adding up all three numbers and dividing by 3.

What Is the PEG Scale Specifically Used For?

“This scale can be administered in person at a clinic or hospital, answered via phone interview or personally completed at home. It is a flexible scale that can be used for many scenarios. For example, the PEG scale is often used to determine if a medication is effective; using it for this purpose helps determine an individual’s level of functioning while taking medication(s). Individuals who show a stable level of functioning, with no other factors that suggest a dosage adjustment, a medication taper or a medication change is needed, would then continue on their medication regime.”  Painscale.com

Is There Any Advice to An Injured Worker?

Yes. These scales will be used possibly for two purposes: first, to evaluate your credibility, and  second, to evaluate your improvement with respect to prescription medications and treatment.

Thus, it is best to make your best efforts to accurately answer them.

What If I Need Advice?

If you would like a free consultation regarding workers’ compensation, please contact the Law Offices of Edward J. Singer, a Professional Law Corporation. We have been helping people in Central and Southern California deal with their workers’ compensation cases for 27 years. Contact us today for more information.

 

Wong-Baker Pain Scale & Workers’ Compensation

Frequently Injured Workers, when attending workers’ compensation evaluations and treatment are asked to fill out a lot of questions and forms.   One of these forms that they may have to fill out is the Wong-Baker FACES® Pain Rating Scale.

These Scales can impact an Injured Worker’s industrial claim.

This article will discuss the Wong-Baker FACES® Pain Rating Scale, how It is used in a Workers’ Compensation claim, and how it can impact an Injured Worker’s claim.

What is the Wong-Baker FACES® Pain Rating Scale?

The Wong-Baker Pain Rating Scale is a tool which is used to allow for patients to provide a self- assessment of their pain.  It was created by Donna Wong and Connie Baker in 1983 to help children communicate about their pain. .

Part of the goal is to improve the assessment by using the scale for the purposes of assisting in pain management.  The Wong-Baker Faces Foundation indicate that the Scale is self-assessment tool [that] must be understood by the patient, so [that[ they are able to choose the face that best illustrates the physical pain they are experiencing.  The Foundation note that the Scale is “not a tool to be used by a third person, parents, healthcare professionals, or caregivers, to assess the patient’s pain. There are other tools for those purposes”.

What Does the Scale Look Like? How It is Scored?

The picture above is a version of the scale. This picture was taken off of the Wikipedia article.   The Scale is copyrighted. The Scale is proprietary. Therefore, if you are interested in the material you should contact the Foundation.

The instructions for its usage is to “explain to the person that each face represent a person who has no pain(hurt), or some, or a lot of pain.”  “Face 0 doesn’t hurt at all.  Face 2 hurts just a little bit.  Face 4 hurts a little bit more. Face 6 hurts even more.  Face 8 hurts a whole lot. Face 10 hurts as much as you can imagine, although you don’t have to be crying to have his worst pain.”

The person is asked to choose the face that best depicts the pain they are experiencing. Supra.

Besides the Scale, the Patient may be asked to “to mark their areas of pain on a drawing of a human figure then rate each area using the faces scale.”.

What Was This Scale Designed for?  What is Your Opinion Concerning It?

Originally, it was designed for children to help them communicate their pain.

In California, there are a number of Injured Workers who do not speak English.   There are some Injured Workers who are illiterate.  Some are illiterate even in their language of origin.  This type of Pain Scale can assist these individuals express themselves with respect to their pain.  It is noted by the Foundation that for children there was “considerable difficulty using any scale with unfamiliar words or scales based on numbering or ranking concepts. The use of the Numeric Rating Scale [were] growing in popularity at this time, but young children had trouble using the numbers.”  Thus,  this type of scale is of some value with certain Injured Workers.

With respect to other workers, the Scale is more problematic.  In the world of workers’ compensation, there is a focus on activities of daily living and how an injury impacts them.   This particular scale, while it may be effective with respect to ascertaining pain information for other reasons, does not provide information used for disability assessment in the workers’ compensation system.

With respect to Adults, pain is viewed must differently than with children. Adults react to pain as an irritation, a distraction, frustration, and may generate anger and upset.  Adults do not necessarily cry because of their pain.   Most adults, however, can understand how the scale signifies a range from no pain to extreme pain.  In sum, its inquiry is superficial.   Again, this is not an indictment of the Scale, it is simply the problem that occurs when it is employed for something it was not intended for.

How Can The Wong-Baker Scale Be Used For In Workers’ Compensation?

In my opinion, the Scale may have some credibility value.   Also, it may document the trajectory of an Injured Worker’s condition.   If this Scale is used on multiple occasions, one can look to see how consistent the reporting it.   Also, it can possibly bring light to possible exaggeration.  Scores at level 10 may give rise to suspicion of exaggeration.

Any Advice Concerning the Scale?

It is very important for Injured Workers to try to be accurate with respect to the score.   While providing a “10” may be a “cry for help,” I would suggest that the Injured Worker actually “cry for help” and tell the evaluator or treater that they are experiencing some level of frustration with respect to their treatment and their relief from the pain.  This will prevent an allegation of exaggeration.

What If I Need Advice? 

If you would like a free consultation concerning any workers’ compensation case, please contact the Law Offices of Edward J. Singer, a Professional Law Corporation. They have been helping people in Central and Southern California deal with their worker’s compensation cases for 28 years. Contact us today for more information.

 

Pain, Symptom Severity and Pain Reporting in Workers’ Compensation: What You Need to Know

In California Workers’ Compensation Law, there are many times that Injured Workers are asked to describe the nature and extent of their Pain. Injured Worker’s Pain Reporting is a vital part of the workers’ compensation system.  This article will discuss the terminology used within workers’ compensation to describe the nature and extent of pain. Pain Reporting is essential to the Workers’ Compensation System.  Pain Reporting can impact everything from the acceptance of the claim as being industrial, to the provision of benefits, and to the provision of medical care.

Pain Reporting can be subjective. People have different tolerance to pain. Pain can be different in nature. Pain can be dull. Pain can be sharp. Pain can be momentary. Pain can be unrelenting.  Further, many times it is hard for an observer to understand an individual’s pain. Due to the subjectiveness and the difficulty in verification, Pain Reporting has an element of doubt as to its nature and extent with respect to Insurance Companies.  All parties involved within the workers’ compensation, doctors, attorneys, and judges, will be assessing whether the Injured Worker’s Pain Reporting is valid for the purposes of handling the claim.

Injured Worker’s Pain Reporting validity impacts the very foundation of many workers’ compensation claims. Pain Reporting, for which Judges and Medical Evaluators view as credible, can lead to the provision of workers’ compensation benefits. This can include such items as the finding of injury being industrial to findings concerning the nature and extent of the injury. Pain Reporting, for which Judges and Medical Evaluators view as non-credible, can negatively impact one’s workers’ compensation claim.  This can include finding that there was no valid claim to the diminishment of benefits. Continue reading

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