The descriptions minimal, slight, moderate, and severe refer to which factors?

• A. Objective factors
• B. Subjective factors
• C. ROM
• D. Vision

Answer: (B)

These descriptors describe subjective factors—the patient's own perception of how severe their symptoms or functional limitations are. In clinical assessment, minimal, slight, moderate, and severe express how the person feels the impact exists, not something measured with an instrument.

For objective factors, you’d rely on quantified data such as range of motion in degrees, muscle strength grades, or imaging results—things you can measure independently of the patient’s report. Vision and other domains can be assessed, but the scale terms like minimal to severe are most directly linked to subjective experience, such as pain intensity or perceived disability.