Rounding Motion Findings – Fourth Edition
Question: I am in a jurisdiction that makes use of the Fourth Edition. My question relates to rounding and range of motion measurements. There are directives to “round to the nearest 10 degrees.” I understand there are similar directives in the Sixth Edition, eg, “measurements should be rounded up or down to the nearest number ending in 0” (6th ed, 464). What happens if a measurement ends in “5”; is this rounded up or down? Should a measurement of 45° be rounded to 40° or 50°? There are circumstances where the effect may be significant.
Answer: The Fourth and Fifth Editions do not address this issue. There is often an approach to favor the patient when the evidence is equipoise (can go either way). Under this concept, because 45° could go either...
