Responsiveness of the Abilitator
The Abilitator is developed by the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health, and it measures an individual’s work ability and functioning. This project, led by the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health, studies the responsiveness of the Abilitator, i.e. its ability to detect changes in self-reported work ability and functioning. The responsiveness is studied on individuals in challenging labour market positions who have participated in Kela’s vocational rehabilitation supporting the integration into work.
Researcher
- Saija Karinkanta, Leading Researcher
Project Implementation Period
1.10.2021–31.12.2023. The project has ended.
Project Results
The Finnish Institute of Occupational Health and Kela studied the responsiveness of the Abilitator, i.e. its ability to detect changes in self-reported ability to work and functional capacity. The Abilitator is a survey developed for the self-assessment of ability to work and functional capacity, and it is intended particularly for individuals in challenging labour market positions.
The subjects of the study (N=62) participated in employment-promoting vocational rehabilitation (TEAK) offered by Kela. The responses the subjects gave to the Abilitator at the beginning and end of rehabilitation were compared to the subjects’ GAS scores, which described how well they had achieved their rehabilitation goals. The aim was to determine whether the Abilitator can detect a real change in survey results established at two different times to a sufficiently reliable degree and whether it is thus a useful tool in monitoring self-assessed ability to work and functional capacity. The data were collected with the consent of the subjects in cooperation with TEAK service providers.
The results depicted the responsiveness of the Abilitator in accordance with the criteria for Consensus-Based Standards for the Selection of Health Measurement Instruments (COSMIN). Clients who participated in TEAK services were aiming for working life or activities promoting access to it, and the corresponding sections of the Abilitator were sensitive to changes in the achievement of goals. In other words, the Abilitator showed changes in the ability to work and convergence towards working life when rehabilitation goals were met. The sections of the Abilitator that related to functional capacity showed very little change. Only a few of the TEAK service participants had goals related to functional capacity.
