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incapacity · model

Incapacity

Medical Model

Definition

Functional inability to perform physical or cognitive tasks due to illness, injury, or impairment.

Prerequisite chain

  1. Condition. Illness, injury, or impairment exists
  2. Functional status. Specific tasks (work, self-care, decisions) can't be performed
  3. Applied test. Assessed in the current actual state (with existing treatment); prognosis separately considers future treatment
Assessment basis (treatment / aids) — Usually assessed in the person's current, actual state (i.e. with whatever treatment they are already on); a separate prognosis considers whether further treatment could restore capacity.

Qualifiers

  • Severity. Mild to total, often on clinical functional scales
  • Duration. Acute (short-term) vs. Chronic (ongoing)
  • Scope. Physical function, cognitive function, or both
  • Other. Distinguished from "disability" by its often acute/episodic framing

Impact

Impairs the ability to perform specific tasks (e.g.

Example

A doctor certifies a patient as temporarily incapacitated for 6 weeks following surgery, pending recovery.

Source: Clinical/medical practice

Language map: disability · Incapacity · Mitigated-state trap