Also known as: physical diagnoses · medical diagnosis
Written by attorneys · grounded in primary & secondary sources — see below
A determination of a medical condition by physical examination only. The resulting assessment rests exclusively on observable physical signs rather than patient-reported symptoms or laboratory data.
Select any source to read its text and confirm it supports the definition.
Paula Pierce twisted her knee during a soccer match and was examined in the locker room by the team physician. The doctor performed a physical diagnosis by palpating the joint, testing range of motion, and noting swelling and instability. Paula's description of the tackle mechanism was admitted because it was made for and reasonably pertinent to that diagnosis and treatment.
Portia Price faced criminal charges and requested expert assistance. The court ordered a psychiatric evaluation rather than a physical diagnosis. The resulting mental-health assessment focused on cognitive capacity and did not rely on physical examination of the body.
Peter Park challenged his death sentence by claiming intellectual disability. Experts performed both cognitive testing and a physical diagnosis that included neurological reflex checks and cranial measurements. The physical findings helped establish whether organic brain impairment existed alongside the IQ scores.
Patrick Phan sought to prove he was incompetent to be executed. The evaluating physician conducted a physical diagnosis that checked motor function, reflexes, and coordination before concluding that any impairment was psychiatric rather than physical.
Piper Patel, an inmate, refused antipsychotic medication. Prison physicians performed a physical diagnosis that included vital signs, pupil response, and gait observation to determine whether side effects justified continued forced treatment.
Pedro Pacheco raised an insanity defense after a workplace incident. The defense expert performed a physical diagnosis consisting of a full neurological examination to rule out seizure or other organic causes before attributing the conduct solely to a mental disorder.
Physical diagnosis rests solely on findings from direct physical examination of the body. Clinical diagnosis instead relies on a study of reported symptoms without physical examination.
Supporting sources
Statements qualify when they are made for and are reasonably pertinent to medical diagnosis or treatment. Descriptions of symptom onset and mechanism of injury are admissible while attributions of fault or intent are not.
Supporting sources
No. Physical diagnosis is limited to findings obtained through physical examination alone. Laboratory tests or imaging fall outside its definition.
Supporting sources
…(1975); 40 Fed. Reg. 1512 (1975); see Staff Report 346. [^maj-28]: The decision is not purely a question of the accuracy of a medical diagnosis since the ultimate issue which the state agency must resolve is whether in light of the particular worker's "age, education, and work experience" he cannot "engage in any . . . substantial…