An investigation of the inter-rater reliability of the Valpar Joule functional capacity evaluation in healthy adults

Abstract

CopyrightItems in 'OpenAIR@RGU', Robert Gordon University Open Access Institutional Repository, are protected by copyright and intellectual property law. If you believe that any material held in 'OpenAIR@RGU' infringes copyright, please contact openair-help@rgu.ac.uk with details. The item will be removed from the repository while the claim is investigated.© IOS Press, non-commercial use only.1 Title:An investigation of the inter-rater reliability of the Valpar Joule Functional Capacity Evaluation in healthy adults. ABSTRACT BackgroundA functional capacity evaluation (FCE) can provide a comprehensive, objective measure of a worker's ability to meet work demands to support return to work decision making. Research evidence of a FCE's reliability and validity, involving more than one study, and covering all test components with a diverse range of populations, is essential to ensure confidence in any FCE system. ObjectiveThis study aimed to establish the inter-rater reliability of the Valpar Joule FCE functional capacity evaluation (FCE) for which there is currently limited published literature regarding its reliability. MethodsTwelve healthy subjects were digitally recorded completing the initial protocol of the Valpar Joule.Assessments were rated separately by 3 raters and the results then compared. ResultsUsing Intraclass Correlation Coefficients (ICC), with percentages of agreement and t-tests to determine bias, inter-rater reliability was high for determining last safe weight lifted for forceful tasks with ICC'>0.90. Agreement ranged from 97.2%-100% for determining reasons for terminating tests; 97.2%-98.6% for identifying maximum safe capacity, but was only between 8.3% -50% for full agreement for identification of last weight safely lifted in forceful tasks. Differences were identified between raters with different training and experience for identifying poor body mechanics in lifting. ConclusionResults demonstrated high inter-rater reliability for the Valpar Joule functional capacity evaluation in healthy adults. Further development of criteria identifying poor body mechanics and training in its use is recommended to increase evaluator objectivity.

Test-retest Reliability of Unilateral and Bilateral Carrying Protocol Based on Joule’s Functional Capacity Evaluation

“…Joule's FCE was selected due to the limited literature about this FCE. This instrument can be used to assess the ability of a person to function in manual handling activities and demonstrated high intra-rater reliability (ICC > 0.90) for the Joule's FCE in healthy adults (10). The IPAQ-SF was used to determine the level of physical activity in the last seven days (i.e., inactive, moderately active or active).…”

“…For instance, in the RTW program established by the SOCSO, the FCE report is critical to determine the ability of a client to return to work and for legal documentation purposes. A study has shown that intra-rater reliability between the assessors for Joule's FCE is high in healthy adults (10), but no study investigating the reliability in Malaysia. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine the test-retest reliability of the carrying protocol in Joule's FCE.…”

“…Functional Capacity Evaluation (FCE) is a measurement tool that assists in determining safe, tolerable levels of function and predicting when an individual is ready to return to work duties (9). In addition, it also can provide a comprehensive assessment in determining the level of functionality of an individual in their work (10). Rehabilitation professionals frequently use performance-based outcome measures such as FCE to assess the level of functional disability since the measurements are more accurate and free from bias than self-report measures (9).…”