Functional ability assessment: guidelines for the workplace

Short- and long-term disability certification is required in all Western countries for extended time away from work. The Americans With Disabilities Act mandates that medical providers use rational thought and justifiable criteria when evaluating an employee's "fitness for duty". In order to facilitate employment/disability decisions, physicians must now serve as an advisor to the employer. Both the employer and the physician are legally obligated to carefully justify any recommendations for placement or exclusion from the workplace. We propose a uniform methodology that both physicians and employers could use together to determine the performance capability of an individual with a temporary or permanent impairment or disability in terms of essential job functions as defined under the Americans With Disabilities Act.