Development and pilot-testing of a work readiness assessment battery.

OBJECTIVE

To develop a work readiness assessment battery that can be used in the course of work rehabilitation and to pilot test the battery to determine its ability to measure the effectiveness of work rehabilitation treatment.

PARTICIPANTS

All participants were recruited from the patient population at the Occupational Performance Center (OPC) at The Rehabilitation Institute of St. Louis (TRISL) (n = 7).

METHODS

A work readiness assessment battery was constructed using the Readiness to Return to Work theory and then pilot-tested using a repeated-measures design.

RESULTS

Participants showed significant improvement on all measures including in the battery with the exception of the depression measure.

CONCLUSIONS

These results demonstrate that it is feasible to construct a work readiness battery of assessments using the Readiness to Return to Work theory and that the measures included capture the effect of work rehabilitation on the constructs identified in the literature to effect work performance. Further investigation is necessary to validate this form of assessment for use in a work rehabilitation setting.