Functional Capacity Evaluation Research: Report from the Fourth International Functional Capacity Evaluation Research Meeting.

Purpose To summarize progress of functional capacity evaluation (FCE) research based on the proceedings of the Fourth International FCE Research Conference held in Switzerland on September 21 and 22, 2018. Methods A scientific committee identified key issues in FCE research and developed the program including key note presentations, a call for abstracts, and round table discussions over 2 days. Highlights of the presentations and discussions are summarized in this article. Results Seventy-nine participants from 11 countries attended the conference where 10 keynote lectures and 21 abstracts were presented. There was also an open discussion regarding the need for an International FCE clinical practice guideline (CPG), methods for developing such a guideline, and practical next steps. Full program details and abstracts from this Fourth International FCE Research Conference are available from https://www.sar-reha.ch/interessengemeinschaften/ig-ergonomie.html . Conclusions Researchers and clinicians continue to increase the body of knowledge in the FCE field. A major finding of this conference is the diversity across the different FCE protocols and research groups as well as of the different uses of FCE across cultural and social economic systems. Next steps will include exploring the development of an international, interdisciplinary, evidence-based FCE clinical practice guideline by a committee formed at the conference.

Functional Capacity Evaluation Research: Report from the Third International Functional Capacity Evaluation Research Meeting.

Purpose Based on the success of the first two conferences the Third International FCE Research Conference was held in The Netherlands on September 29, 2016. The aim was to provide ongoing opportunity to share and recent FCE research and discuss its implications. Methods Invitations and call for abstracts were sent to previous attendees, researchers, practicing FCE clinicians and professionals. Fifteen abstracts were selected for presentation. The FCE research conference contained two keynote lectures. Results 54 participants from 12 countries attended the conference where 15 research projects and 2 keynote lectures were presented. The conference provided an opportunity to present and discuss recent FCE research, and provided a forum for discourse related to FCE use. Conference presentations covered aspects of practical issues in administration and interpretation; protocol reliability and validity; consideration of specific injury populations; and a focused discussion on proposed inclusion of work physiology principles in FCE testing with the Heart Rate Reserve Method. Details of this Third International FCE Research Conference are available from http://repro.rcnheliomare.nl/FCE.pdf . Conclusions Researchers, clinicians, and other professionals in the FCE area have a common desire to further improve the content and quality of FCE research and to collaborate to further develop research across systems, cultures and countries. A fourth, 2-day, International FCE research conference will be held in Valens, Switzerland in August or September 2018. A 'FCE research Society' will be developed.

Functional Capacity Evaluation Research: Report from the Second International Functional Capacity Evaluation Research Meeting.

INTRODUCTION: Functional capacity evaluations are an important component of many occupational rehabilitation programs and can play a role in facilitating reintegration to work thus improving health and disability outcomes. The field of functional capacity evaluation (FCE) research has continued to develop over recent years, with growing evidence on the reliability, validity and clinical utility of FCE within different patient and healthy worker groups. The second International FCE Research Conference was held in Toronto, Canada on October 2nd 2014 adjacent to the 2014 Work Disability Prevention Integration conference. This paper describes the outcomes of the conference. REPORT: Fifty-four participants from nine countries attended the conference where eleven research projects and three workshops were presented. The conference provided an opportunity to discuss FCE practice, present new research and provide a forum for discourse around the issues pertinent to FCE use. Conference presentations covered aspects of FCE use including the ICF-FCE interface, aspects of reliability and validity, consideration of specific injury populations, comparisons of FCE components and a lively debate on the merits of 'Man versus Machine' in FCE's. FUTURE DIRECTIONS: Researchers, clinicians, and other professionals in the FCE area have a common desire to improve the content and quality of FCE research and to collaborate to further develop research across systems, cultures and countries.

Ageing workers with work-related musculoskeletal injuries.

BACKGROUND: Older workers often take longer to recover and experience more missed workdays after work-related injuries, but it is unclear why or how best to intervene. Knowing the characteristics of older injured workers may help in developing interventions to reduce the likelihood of work disability. AIMS: To describe and compare several characteristics between younger and middle-aged working adults (25-54 years), adults nearing retirement (55-64 years) and adults past typical retirement (≥65 years), who sustained work-related musculoskeletal injuries. METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, Alberta workers' compensation claimants with subacute and chronic work-related musculoskeletal injuries were studied. A wide range of demographic, employment, injury and clinical characteristics were investigated. Descriptive statistics were computed and compared between the age groups. RESULTS: Among 8003 claimants, adults 65 years or older, compared to those 25-54 and 55-64 years, had lower education (16 versus 10 and 12%, P < 0.001) and were more likely to work in trades, transport and related occupations (50 versus 46 and 44%, P < 0.001), to have less offers of modified work (57 versus 39 and 42%, P < 0.001), more fractures (18 versus 14 and 11%, P < 0.001) and no further rehabilitation recommended after assessment (28 versus 18 and 20%, P < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Injured workers past typical retirement age appeared to be a disadvantaged group with significant challenges from a vocational rehabilitation perspective. They were less likely to have modified work options available or be offered rehabilitation, despite having more severe injuries.

Developing research on performance-based functional work assessment: report on the first international functional capacity evaluation research meeting.

INTRODUCTION: Research on Performance-Based Work Assessment, also known as Functional Capacity Evaluation (FCE), has evolved substantially over the past decades. Although this field of research has developed, the use of FCE has been an object of discussion and debate internationally. Unfortunately, there has been no platform or infrastructure available for FCE researchers to present their research, discuss, and collaborate. METHODS: An International FCE Research Meeting was held in Haren, The Netherlands on October 25, 2012, with 48 participants from eight countries. The meeting consisted of presentation of new research, two debates, and an open discussion that aimed at creating an overview of gaps in research as identified by the participants. RESULTS: The discussion resulted in the identification of 17 research needs, which are listed in this paper. Important categories were: further validation of FCE across settings, jurisdictions and patient groups; additional impact and cost-effectiveness evaluation of FCE compared to alternatives; and the use of ICF as guiding framework. CONCLUSION: Researchers, clinicians, and other professionals in the FCE area are interested in improving the quality and content of FCE research by setting a common set of priorities and creating an international peer network.

Clinical practice guidelines for the noninvasive management of low back pain: A systematic review by the Ontario Protocol for Traffic Injury Management (OPTIMa) Collaboration.

We conducted a systematic review of guidelines on the management of low back pain (LBP) to assess their methodological quality and guide care. We synthesized guidelines on the management of LBP published from 2005 to 2014 following best evidence synthesis principles. We searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, PsycINFO, Cochrane, DARE, National Health Services Economic Evaluation Database, Health Technology Assessment Database, Index to Chiropractic Literature and grey literature. Independent reviewers critically appraised eligible guidelines using AGREE II criteria. We screened 2504 citations; 13 guidelines were eligible for critical appraisal, and 10 had a low risk of bias. According to high-quality guidelines: (1) all patients with acute or chronic LBP should receive education, reassurance and instruction on self-management options; (2) patients with acute LBP should be encouraged to return to activity and may benefit from paracetamol, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), or spinal manipulation; (3) the management of chronic LBP may include exercise, paracetamol or NSAIDs, manual therapy, acupuncture, and multimodal rehabilitation (combined physical and psychological treatment); and (4) patients with lumbar disc herniation with radiculopathy may benefit from spinal manipulation. Ten guidelines were of high methodological quality, but updating and some methodological improvements are needed. Overall, most guidelines target nonspecific LBP and recommend education, staying active/exercise, manual therapy, and paracetamol or NSAIDs as first-line treatments. The recommendation to use paracetamol for acute LBP is challenged by recent evidence and needs to be revisited. SIGNIFICANCE: Most high-quality guidelines recommend education, staying active/exercise, manual therapy and paracetamol/NSAIDs as first-line treatments for LBP. Recommendation of paracetamol for acute LBP is challenged by recent evidence and needs updating.

Does functional capacity evaluation predict recovery in workers' compensation claimants with upper extremity disorders?

OBJECTIVES: Functional capacity evaluations (FCEs) are commonly used to determine return-to-work readiness and guide decision making following work related injury, yet little is known of their validity. The authors examined performance on the Isernhagen Work Systems' FCE as a predictor of timely and sustained recovery in workers' compensation claimants with upper extremity disorders. A secondary objective was to determine whether FCE is more predictive in claimants with specific injuries (that is, fracture) as compared to less specific, pain mediated disorders (that is, myofascial pain). METHODS: The authors performed a longitudinal study of 336 claimants with upper extremity disorders undergoing FCE. FCE indicators were maximum performance during handgrip and lift testing, and the number of tasks where performance was rated below required job demands. Outcomes investigated were days receiving time-loss benefits (a surrogate of return to work or work readiness) in the year following FCE, days until claim closure, and future recurrence defined as whether benefits restarted, the claim reopened, or a new upper extremity claim was filed. Cox and logistic regression were used to determine the prognostic effect of FCE crudely and after controlling for potential confounders. Analysis was performed separately on claimants with specific and pain mediated disorders. RESULTS: Most subjects (95%) experienced time-loss benefit suspension within one year following FCE. The one year recurrence rate was 39%. Higher lifting performance was associated with faster benefit suspension and claim closure, but explained little variation in these outcomes (r2 = 1.2-11%). No FCE indicators were associated with future recurrence after controlling for confounders. Results were similar between specific injury and less specific groups. CONCLUSIONS: Better FCE performance was a weak predictor of faster benefit suspension, and was unrelated to sustained recovery. FCE was no more predictive in claimants with specific pathology and injury than in those with more ambiguous, pain mediated conditions.

Material handling performance of patients with chronic low back pain during functional capacity evaluation: a comparison between three countries.

PURPOSE: Functional Capacity Evaluations (FCEs) are batteries of tests designed to measure patients' ability to perform work-related activities. Although FCEs are used worldwide, it is unknown how patients' performances compare between countries or settings. This study was performed to explore similarities and differences in FCE performance of patients with chronic low back pain (CLBP) between three international settings that utilize the same FCE protocol. METHODS: Standardized FCEs were performed on three cohorts of patients with CLBP: A sample from an outpatient rehabilitation context in The Netherlands (n = 121), a Canadian sample in a Worker's Compensation context (n = 273), and a Swiss sample in an inpatient rehabilitation context (n = 170). Patients were undergoing FCE as part of their usual clinical care. Means and standard deviations of maximum performance on the FCE material handling items were calculated and differences compared using ANOVA. Multivariable linear regression was used to determine the relationship between country of origin and FCE performance while controlling for potential confounders including, age, sex, duration of back pain problems, and self-reported pain and disability ratings. RESULTS: Compared to the Dutch sample, the mean performance of patients in the Canadian and Swiss samples was consistently lower on all FCE items. This association remained statistically significant after controlling for potential confounders. CONCLUSIONS: Considerable differences were observed between settings in maximum weight handled on the various FCE items. Future FCE research should examine the effects of a number of potentially influential factors, including variability in evaluator judgements across settings, the evaluator-patient interaction and patients' expectations of the influence of FCE results on disability compensation.

Validity evidence for the back beliefs questionnaire in the general population.

BACKGROUND: Despite common usage of the back beliefs questionnaire (BBQ) in a variety of studies, important validity evidence is missing. The objective of this study was to examine the validity of the BBQ in the general population. METHODS: A population-based, cross-sectional study design was used. Adult residents in two Canadian provinces were randomly sampled. To examine structural validity, items from the BBQ were subjected to factor analysis. Construct validity was tested by examining two hypotheses: BBQ scores would be most pessimistic in those with a recent history of back pain and in those who utilized passive treatments for back pain. Multiple linear regression was used to analyse the two hypotheses. RESULTS: Complete data were available for 6171 subjects. The best structure for the BBQ was to use eight or nine of the 14 items for scoring, which is consistent with the structure reported by the BBQ developers. BBQ scores varied based on participants' history of low back pain (LBP) and depended on pain severity. Those with severe pain and a recent history of LBP had the most pessimistic BBQ scores. In addition, participants who utilized passive management behaviours such as bed rest and activity avoidance had more pessimistic BBQ scores compared with those that did not. CONCLUSIONS: This study provides strong validity evidence supporting the current structure and scoring of the BBQ. In addition, construct validity was evidenced by the behaviour of BBQ scores in a manner congruent with our hypotheses, further supporting use of the BBQ in the general population.