A TEST TO MEASURE LIFT CAPACITY OF PHYSICALLY IMPAIRED ADULTS .2. REACTIVITY IN A PATIENT SAMPLE

Study Design. Test reactivity is the based on the idea that experience with a test may affect performance on subsequent tests, independent o f what the test purports to measure. The reactivity of a test of lift capacity was studied in a single-blind randomized clinical trial in wh ich subjects were assigned to one of two groups. One group received li ft testing before and after a therapeutic trial, white the other group received lift testing only at the conclusion of the therapeutic trial . Objective, To measure the reactivity of a rift capacity test over th e course of treatment. Summary of Background Data, The reactivity of a test is an important criterion by which an outcome measure must be ju dged. Change in response to treatment is assumed to be independent of changes resulting from the evaluee's experience with the test, althoug h this is rarely addressed. Methods, The EPIC Lift Capacity test was a dministered to 55 patients with low back pain in a treatment program a fter they were randomized into a pre-test/post-test and a post-test on ly group. Additional measures were taken on a pre-test/post-test basis for all subjects. Results. Analyses of variance demonstrated no diffe rence between the randomized groups after treatment. However, the pre- test/post-test group demonstrated significant improvement over the cou rse of treatment. Other measures of outcome were similarly affected. C onclusion, The reactivity of the EPIC Lift Capacity test was negligibl e over an 8-week treatment regimen that did not include lifting tasks.