The Effectiveness of a Functional Capacity Evaluation Among Persons on Sick Leave or Work Disability

In a FCE, an occupational therapist will evaluate a patient's ability to perform work-related tasks, using a battery of tests. Depending on the circumstances, he/she will for instance test fatigue, ask the patient to kneel, lift objects, or assess concentration. This assessment lasts ± 4 hours and includes physical tests and tests related to the (previous or reference) profession of the client. This means that an explicit match is made between the functional capacities of the patient (what is he/she capable of) and the demands of a certain job (what is he/she expected to do). Following this assessment, the occupational therapist will explain the results of this assessment to the patient. The evaluation will therefore take place during one or two visits.