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Objective: Intentional exaggeration of disability is a risk in work injuries but is hard to reliably detect clinically. This study examined the accuracy of tactile sensory threshold and forced-choice discrimination measures in detecting feigned sensory loss. Methods: Participants (n = 80) were randomly assigned to one of four sensory loss groups: (1) none; (2) partial; (3) full; or (4) feigned. Sensory data were collected for the upper extremities. Results: Tactile thresholds greater than 0.5 g, discriminability less than 0.50, or forced-choice scores less than 90% were associated with a very low probability of false-positive errors. Conclusions: Below-chance scores are definitive evidence that the sensory loss is intentionally feigned. Scores beyond cut-offs should raise the clinician’s suspicion of malingering if there is no physical basis for sensory loss.
Greve et al. (Fri,) studied this question.