Objective: This review sought to synthesize existing evidence on work capacity assessments and to identify the knowledge supporting their use in return to work practice and future research. Methods: A scoping review was conducted identifying studies examining assessments used in return to work. Studies published before 1986 and studies not written in English were excluded. A five point relevancy criteria was used to establish the fit of articles with the research question. Articles were thematically analyzed into components of the PEO Model, proposed future research, and areas of vested interest. Results: Forty four articles met the criteria for inclusion. For over twenty five years, work capacity assessment literature has remained focused on the individual's physical work performance capacities. Gaps were identified in the lack of qualitative research and incorporation of person, occupation, and environmental dimensions in evaluation of work capacity. Future research recommendations emphasize the need for knowledge generation on work modification and investigation of psychosocial factors that impact work capacity and return to work yet only minimal progression is evident in these areas in the literature reviewed.
Conclusion:The limited consideration of the occupation and environmental dimensions in returning to work and the global interest in work capacity assessment highlight the need for the development of contextually based assessment tools. Assessment needs to move toward the incorporation of environmental and occupational aspects in addition to the person dimension in a culturally transcendent manner.
The aim of this study is to understand the barriers and facilitators in brokering knowledge brokering knowledge to help injured workers make informed decisions about recovery and to support their transitions to return to work (RTW). Participants: Perceptions of 63 Injured Worker Groups (IWGs) and 43 Health Care Professionals (HCPs) in facilitating and brokering knowledge were examined. Methods: Critical theory and participatory action research approaches informed the development of a multi-stakeholder research team and the study design to support an exploration into knowledge exchange and transfer. Data was analyzed using a critical occupational perspective to reveal the source of barriers and to identify the facilitators of the knowledge exchange and transfer process. Results: Barriers in transferring knowledge included system barriers, a lack of information accessibility, and problems with variations in injured worker capacity and experience using information. IWG and HCP participants lacked expertise in knowledge transfer. Findings also revealed the interactive knowledge transfer processes that IWGs and HCPs use to help injured workers understand and use information. Conclusions: Change is required to improve knowledge exchange and transfer of information for and to persons with injuries and disabilities. Suggested changes include the development of a sustainable knowledge transfer community of practice, a best practice guide for knowledge brokers such as IWGs and HCPs, and a process for ongoing assessment and evaluation of injured worker information needs and preferences.
Motor vehicle collisions are the leading cause of death among North American youth, with a high prevalence of distraction-related fatalities. Youth-focused interventions must address detecting (visual scanning) and responding (adjustment to stimuli) to critical roadway information. In this repeated measures study, we investigated the feasibility (i.e., recruitment and sample characteristics; data collection procedures; acceptability of the intervention; resources; and preliminary effects) of a DriveFocus™ app intervention on youth's driving performance. Thirty-four youth participated in a 9-week protocol (retention rate = 89.7%; adherence rate = 100%). No participants experienced simulator sickness. A preliminary nonparametric evaluation of the results ( n = 34) indicated a statistically significant decrease in the number of visual scanning, F(2, 68) = 3.769, p = .028, and adjustment to stimuli, F(2, 68) = 6.759, p = .002, errors between baseline, midpoint, and posttest. This study lays the foundation to support a targeted intervention trial to improve youth's attention to critical road information, building on their mobile technology preferences.
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