A method of permanent impairment assessment of a persons upper limb and/or hand is implemented using a proprietary computer program, and comprises the step of displaying a digital image of the persons injured limb and/or hand 24 and of their uninjured limb and/or hand 22 on a visual display screen. A measurement tool 20 is provided on-screen for measuring the extent of injury, wherein the measurement tool can be moved over the digital image of both hands. The extent of injury of the injured limb and/or hand is measured by moving the measurement tool 20 so as to overlay the injured limb and/or hand 24. A value for the degree of impairment can be obtained using this measurement.