The Characteristics of a Quality FCE

Functional capacity assessment is a burgeoning area of industrial medicine which is quickly moving into many other areas of physical medicine. If you’ve avoided them, or been uncertain how to manage the complex variables of a Functional Capacity Evaluation, it may be a matter of understanding the differences between a subpar FCE, and a quality FCE that would benefit all parties.

An article published by IBJI Rehabilitation, therapist Joe Castronovo highlights some of the differences between good and bad functional assessments in over 500 FCEs. The article has a lot of good food-for-thought for those who are performing functional assessments or who are considering them. In addition, Joe poses a few questions that administrators, legal counsel, and functional assessment professionals should consider.

• How many validity criteria does your FCE present?
• Is your FCE supported by scientific evidence and has the report (and therapist) held up in legal proceedings? Computer-based FCEs that are calibrated regularly help support the scientific evidence.
• How experienced is your therapist? How many tests has he or she performed? Is the tester a physical or occupational therapist, or someone with a different degree that may not be fully qualified to perform the exam?
• Is the therapist performing the test the treating provider?
• Does the report make a clear judgment on the person’s work ability compared to the worker’s actual job demands?  

Check out the full article here, and find out how JTECH products can help provide tools to help you answer those questions the right way!

Read the entire article here: https://www.ibji.com/blog/physical-occupational-therapy/the-benefits-of-a-quality-functional-capacity-evaluation-what-to-look-for/