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Reliability of safe maximum lifting determinations of a functional capacity evaluation
Douglas P Gross1, Michele C Battié
1Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine, University of Alberta, 3-48 Corbett Hall, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada T6G 2G4. dgross@ualberta.ca
Background And Purpose:
Functional capacity evaluations (FCEs) are measurement tools used in predicting readiness to return to work following injury. The interrater and test-retest reliability of determinations of maximal safe lifting during kinesiophysical FCEs were examined in a sample of people who were off work and receiving workers' compensation.
Subjects:
Twenty-eight subjects with low back pain who had plateaued with treatment were enrolled. Five occupational therapists, trained and experienced in kinesiophysical methods, conducted testing.
Methods:
A repeated-measures design was used, with raters testing subjects simultaneously, yet independently. Subjects were rated on 2 occasions, separated by 2 to 4 days. Analyses included intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) and 95% confidence intervals.
Results:
The ICC values for interrater reliability ranged from.95 to.98. Test-retest values ranged from.78 to.94.
Discussion And Conclusion:
Inconsistencies in subjects' performance across sessions were the greatest source of FCE measurement variability. Overall, however, test-retest reliability was good and interrater reliability was excellent.