Testing and eval-functional capacity eval and physical abilities testing

Functional Capacity Evaluation (FCE)

-activity based assessment done by a medical professional

-to determine a pts physical and cognitive ability to perform

Who typically requests FCE's and why?

-insurance companies

-to determine if pts disability will allow them to rtn to their job or any job

How long do FCE's generally take?

-typically 8 hrs

-can be 1 or 2 days

What are the 2 types of FCE?

-specific job: designed to represent a specific job to which the applicant will be returning

-general FCE: to determine an applicant's general

What is physical abilities testing (PAT)?

-testing process that determines if an applicant is physically capable of performing essential job requirements

Why are PAT's important?

-it is important that an applicant can meet the demands in a SAFE manner (with good body mechanics and with control)

What is used to develop the PAT?

-functional job descriptions or an onsite analysis

What is involved in the PAT?

-simulated work activities that are comparable to the job description, physical demand level and essential functions of the job

A PAT should measure what?

-an applicant's functional ability to meet the physical demand level and the essential functions of a job

A PAT should match _____________________

-the worker to the work

Who should be interested in using PATs?

-employers that have jobs in the light, medium to heavy physical demand classifications

-jobs that are repetitive in nature

-employers that are experiencing: high rates of injury within particular classification, high turn over rates, high worker's compensation claims, issues achieving productivity standards in a timely manner

When did testing become popular and why

-the 70s and 80s due to increased insurance premiums and the need to manage disabled workers

What 2 governing bodies have directly influenced testing protocols?

-ADA; americans w/ disabilities act

-EEOC; equal opportunity commission

What does the ADA do?

-protects employees from being discriminated against due to disability

What is stage 1 of the ADA

-pre offer

-no job offered to applicant

-many companies don't do them

What is stage 2 of the ADA

-post-offer

-conditional job offer

-employer may make disability related inquiries and med exams

-company must do the same for all employees entering into the same job category

If a test screens out an applicant; an employer must demonstrate that

-the test is job-related

-it's consistent with business necessity

-performance can't be achieved w/ reasonable accommodation; and/or

-reasonable accommodation poses undue hardship on the business

-the applicant poses a safety risk to themselves or to other worker

An employer may make disabiliyt related inquiries and require med examinations only if

-they are job related or non-occupational injury or illness

Uniform guidelines of employee selection procedures

-established in 1978

-designed to comply w/ federal law prohibiting employment practice that discriminates on the grounds of race, color, religion, sex and nat'l origin

-applies to tests and other selection procedures that are uses as a basis for any employment decision

-employment decisions included but aren't limited to hiring, promotion, demotion, membership, referral, retention, licensing, and certification

-use of any selection procedure that has an adverse impact on the hiring, promotion, or other employment opportunities of members of any sex, age, or ethnic grp will be considered to be discriminatory unless it has been validated

Physical demand PAT

-hiring for a job

-rtn to work PAT

Why is a return to work PAT performed?

-during the course of tx to aid in upgrading work modification and tracking of pts progress in PT

Validated PAT

-2 options all for flexibility in determining what best suits the employer and business needs

How is a test validated

-ergonomic worksite eval is conducted

-HR data on that specific job is collected

-data is compared to like jobs

-a test battery is developed for the specific work population in a specific job classification

Safety precautions taken during testing

-BP protocol

-HR protocol (resting HR, max allowable)

-exertion rating

-pain rating

-poor body mechanics

-constant communication with applicant (requests to stop)

What are the features of a physical demand PAT

-performed as a post-offer test

-is ADA compliant

-physical demand specific

-matches the worker to the physical job demands

-results given as able/unable

-can recommend accommodations

-documented decrease in injury rates

What are standard components of a physical demand PAT

-standard (health q, medical physical, grip testing-compared to nat'l norms, static push/pull, dynamic lifting)

For dynamic lifting what are the requirements for occasional lift

-1x/20s with a 60s rest

For dynamic lifting what are the frequent lift

-4x/20s with 30s rest

Optional parts of physical demand PAT

-work positional tolerances

-aerobic capacity determination (step test)

-employee/employer disclaimer

-immediate results

T/F a validated PAT can be used in hire/ no hire decisions (pass/fail)

-T