Affiliations: Queen's University, Canada | University of Western Ontario, Canada | Providence Care, Kingston, Canada | London Health Sciences Centre, London, Canada | Limestone Health Consultants, Inc., Kingston,
Canada
Note: [] Address for correspondence: Rosemary Lysaght, School of
Rehabilitation Therapy, Queen's University, Kingston, ON, K7L 3N6, Canada.
Tel.: +1 613 548 3514; Fax: +1 613 533 6776; E-mail: lysaght@queensu.ca
Abstract: Determination of the cognitive and behavioural demands of work is an
important part of holistic workplace intervention. Attention to these factors
is especially important when developing return-to-work programs for persons
with reduced cognitive, behavioural or psycho-emotional capacity, and when
designing risk management programs in organizations. Occupational therapists
have the background knowledge and skills to assess these components of work,
but often lack valid and reliable measurement tools. This paper reports on
three field studies that assessed the reliability and validity of ratings made
by novice users of the City of Toronto Job Demands Analysis, which includes a
measure of cognitive and behavioural work demands. Numerous challenges to
accuracy and reliability that are common to empirical measurement were
disclosed, including the necessity for clear and strong definitions, and the
importance of thorough rater training. Implications for therapist training and
mentorship are discussed.
Keywords: Job analysis, task performance and analysis, cognitive performance, work redesign, test reliability, test validity
