Title: North Carolina Board of Physical Therapy Examiners
Headings: Functional Capacity Evaluations
Functional Capacity Evaluations
Content: Description of FCE
Occupational Health Physical Therapy Guidelines: Evaluating Functional Capacity defines an FCE as follows: An FCE is a detailed examination and evaluation that objectively measures the patient’s/client’s current level of function, primarily within the context of the demands of competitive employment. Measurements of function from an FCE are compared to the physical demands of a job or other functional activities, and are used to make return-to-work/activity decisions, disability determinations, or to generate a rehabilitation plan. An FCE measures the ability of an individual to perform functional or work-related tasks and predicts the potential to sustain these tasks over a defined time frame. A job-specific FCE is one that is required to evaluate a client’s ability to perform the physical demands of a specific, identified job. Rationale for Position Statement
The basic components of the FCE are data collection and tests and measures. The FCE takes four to eight hours to administer over a one to two day period. Initially, a determination must be made by the PT that it is appropriate to proceed with the FCE. Further, to avoid the risk of additional injury, the tests and measures must be performed safely and correctly.