About Us
Our Journey: Transforming FCE Assessments and Tools
Our Story
Metriks was founded by Kevin Cairns and Tim Bergelt, who combined their expertise in kinesiology and software engineering to create innovative Functional Capacity Evaluation (FCE) solutions. Friends, soccer teammates, and business partners for over 30 years, they have developed Metriks to address the needs of healthcare professionals in rehabilitation assessments.
Inconsistency in Traditional Treatment Outcome Measurement
While practicing as a kinesiologist, Kevin observed that treatment outcome measurement was inconsistent across clinics. Many clinics lacked a measurement system, and those that had one relied on patient self-reports of improvement or pain reduction. Kevin noted that the focus was on impairment reduction with little attention to return to function.
The Need for Education on Measuring Function
Our first educational course taught healthcare professionals how to perform a Functional Capacity Evaluation (FCE). Attracting a wide range of healthcare professionals, including occupational therapists, chiropractors, kinesiologists, and physical therapists, the FCE certification course quickly became our most popular offering.
The Need for a Data Collection Platform and Report Writing System
The Metriks RAM online data collection platform, released in 2008, features test forms for completing an FCE and a report template to automate the report writing process. Metriks RAM now includes data collection forms for Disability Evaluations, Job Demands Analysis, Office Ergonomics, Gait and Balance testing, Cognitive testing, Fit for Duty testing, Post-offer Pre-Employment (POET) testing, and Psychometric testing.
The Need for Portable and Affordable Measurement Tools
Metriks has evolved from solely distributing other companies' products to designing our own Metriks measurement tools. Our lineup includes a digital inclinometer, push-pull force gauge, functional cube, and rehabilitation measurement stand. These tools can be combined into our portable and affordable FCE in a box.
Our Mission
We’re on a mission to equip healthcare professionals with the tools to measure and track a patient's rehabilitation progress.
Our Vision
We envision a world where all stakeholders in the rehabilitation process – patients, treating professionals, physicians, employers, and insurers – have objective and accurate measurements of a patient's level of function to guide them through the rehabilitation process.
Our Values
Our values guide everything we do, from our mission to our collaboration with our clinical network:
- Safety: Tests should not be expected to lead to injury.
- Reliability: Measures from tests should produce consistent results.
- Validity: Tests should measure what they were intended to measure.
- Practicality: The time and cost involved in test design, administration, and reporting should be reasonable.
- Utility: Results should be understandable to non-medical readers and provide useful guidance to all stakeholders.
Our Team
Kevin Cairns
Founder
Kevin is a graduate of the University of Waterloo with over 20 years of experience in teaching Functional Evaluations. He is a faculty member at University of Guelph-Humber, teaching Occupational Biomechanics and Functional Capacity Evaluations. Kevin also teaches in the Graduate Diploma in Professional Kinesiology at Lakehead University.
Dilara Sen
Product Developer
Dilara updates current Office Ergonomics, Job Demands Analysis, and FCE courses. She re-records videos, takes new photos, develops new content, and attends weekly meetings to support innovative improvements at Metriks.
Reeya Kothari
Marketing and Communications
Reeya is responsible for marketing Metriks’ software, equipment, and courses across social media platforms. She creates newsletters and blogs weekly. A Kinesiology graduate of the University of Guelph-Humber, Reeya completed Kevin’s FAE course and is passionate about fitness and health promotion.