Evaluation of the Military Functional Assessment Program: Preliminary Assessment of the Construct Validity Using an Archived Database of Clinical Data

Abstract : There is a critical need for return-to-duty (RTD) assessment criteria that encompasses the spectrum of injury and disease experienced by U.S. Soldiers, Airmen, Sailors, and Marines. This study focused on injury effects on human neurosensory and musculoskeletal function, including those resulting from blast, blunt, and ballistic threats. The goal of this effort was to evaluate the relationships between clinical assessments and novel military-specific tasks of current assessment batteries by comparing scores on a clinical test battery with Soldier performance on the tasks currently utilized by the Military Functional Assessment Program (MFAP) at Fort Campbell, Kentucky. Results demonstrated an initial convergent validity between MFAP tasks and clinical assessment scores, and supported additional research efforts to determine the effectiveness of the MFAP in predicting RTD success. Additional survey data collected from a sample of military leaders indicated that Soldiers reintegrating with a unit following medical treatment at the Warrior Resiliency and Recovery Center are generally perceived as successful, but require special treatment to carry out their missions; however, interpretations and application of survey data were limited by the small sample size of respondents.