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Zur ärztlichen Beurteilung arbeitsbezogener körperlicher Leistungsfähigkeit anhand des FCE-Assessments ERGOS® Work Simulator*

Aim: The present study investigated the validity of ERGOS-based medical statements on the question of the job-specific medical fitness of individuals with chronic musculoskeletal defects. Method: In the assessment of a person’s job-specific physical performance capacity for occupational medical or social legislative purposes, useful information can be obtained from activity diagnostics. In the present study, such information was generated with the help of the ERGOS® Work Simulator. This standardized and computerized procedure carries out a functional capacity evaluation (FCE) and can be used to match the abilities of people with the requirements of specific jobs. In the study, 170 subjects (median age 40 years) were examined. All subjects suffered from chronic back pain (CBP) or arthropathy and were characterized by health-related time off work or a health-related change of job (77.2 % m; 22.8 % f ). Ten physicians with experience as medical assessors carried out complete physical examinations of the subjects without knowledge of their job situations (blind study) and produced on this basis ERGOS-independent assessments of whether the subject would be able to work in the specific job or not (n = 164). The same physicians then took part in a second (blind) assessment in which the ERGOS-results for the persons were integrated (n = 163). The assessment results were compared on the basis of concordance with predefined groups. The “plus” group had worked for at least 3 months without breaks in the new job whereas the “minus” group were unable to continue work in the job in question for health-related reasons. Results: Subjects unable to continue work in the specific job for health-related reasons (“minus” group) were correctly assessed without ERGOS in about 76 % of cases. After integration of the ERGOS information, the assessment was correct in 85 % of cases. Subjects able to work in the specific job (‘plus” group) were assessed correctly without ERGOS in about 59 % of cases and with ERGOS in about 82 %. The improvement was 23 % more correct assessments. The ability of the medical assessment to differentiate between the two categories in the whole group was d* = 0.86 without ERGOS, and d* = 1.9 with ERGOS. Conclusions: The use of the ERGOS® Work Simulator can provide useful support in the sociomedical assessment of performance capacity by the physician. To protect especially the opportunities of the individual, action and implementation recommendations are required. A positive effect of using ERGOS is only to be expected when it is integrated as a source of important information in the whole assessment process, that is, when its differentiated use is associated with sufficiently precise questions and expectations. It is conceivable that similarly useful results would be obtained with other FCE procedures. In addition, it is necessary to promote an active development of the assessment culture and, in particular, of the co-operation between experts in social medicine and the use of technical methods to obtain and objectivize results.