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Psychometric Evaluation of Health-Related Work Outcome Measures For Musculoskeletal Disorders: A Systematic Review

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Abstract

Introduction: This systematic review evaluated the quality of psychometric properties of self-report health-related work outcome measures for patients with musculoskeletal disorders. Methods: Electronic searches of MEDLINE, EMBASE, and Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL) between 1980 and December 2006 were conducted for peer-reviewed studies that evaluated self-report work outcome measures for patients with musculoskeletal disorders. The eligibility criteria for the papers included in the review were articles that: (1) discussed the psychometric evaluation of a self-reported health-related work outcome measure, (2) were conducted with patients who were diagnosed with musculoskeletal disorders, (3) were written as peer-reviewed full published reports, and (4) were published in English. Three pairs of reviewers used a modified rating form and evaluated the quality of the psychometric properties of the instruments described in the retrieved articles. Results: Of the 740 articles that were identified, six instruments in eight studies met the inclusion criteria. None of the instruments demonstrated satisfactory results for all properties. Overall, the highest quality ratings were given to the Functional Abilities Confidence Scale and the Occupational Role Questionnaire. Conclusions: Although validation studies of self-report health-related work outcome measures for patients with musculoskeletal disorders exist, they appear to be limited in the quality of their psychometric properties. There is a need to continue to validate health-related work outcome measures and to make them more meaningful for patients and clinicians.

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Acknowledgements

A special thank you goes to Professor Paul Statford who provided feedback on a first draft of this manuscript. We also thank Rajan Suppiah and Jian Wang for their participation in the initial review of the articles.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Rehabilitation Science, McMaster University, 1400 Main Street West, Hamilton, ON, Canada, L8S 1C7

    Renee M. Williams

  2. Link With Work, Grand River Hospital, Kitchener, ON, Canada

    Gloria Schmuck

  3. Collingwood Rehabilitation Centre, Collingwood, ON, Canada

    Shannon Allwood

  4. Physiotherapy Associates of Port Perry, Port Perry, ON, Canada

    Matthew Sanchez

  5. Grand River Physiotherapy, Fergus, ON, Canada

    Ryan Shea

  6. Physio III, Owen Sound, ON, Canada

    Glenn Wark

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  1. Renee M. Williams
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Correspondence to Renee M. Williams.

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Williams, R.M., Schmuck, G., Allwood, S. et al. Psychometric Evaluation of Health-Related Work Outcome Measures For Musculoskeletal Disorders: A Systematic Review. J Occup Rehabil 17, 504–521 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10926-007-9093-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10926-007-9093-0

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