Wheelchair Maintenance for People with SCI
A Consumer Digest of Model System Research:
What is the study about?
This study’s aim was to assess the effectiveness of group wheelchair maintenance training.
What did the study find?
This study found that after the training program, participants saw an improvements in their ability to complete maintenance (capacity) and how often they did maintenance (performance) for both manual (MWC) and power wheelchair (PWC) users with spinal cord injury (SCI).
Who participated in the study?
Individuals who participated in the intervention were manual wheelchair users (N=80) and power wheelchair users (N=67). The total sample size was 147.
How was the study conducted?
This study was a randomized controlled trial with a group who received the intervention immediately and a waitlisted control group who received the intervention after a 6-month delay. The intervention was a training program consisting of two 120-minute classes with the goal of teaching participants how to take care of a wheelchair at home.
How can people use the results?
Individuals with SCI who use either a manual or power wheelchair and their families can use the results of this study to learn more about wheelchair maintenance (materials are available in-article links).
Reference
Worobey, L. A., Kirby, R. L., Heinemann, A. W., Krobot, E. A., Dyson-Hudson, T. A., Cowan, R. E., Pedersen, J. P., Shea, M., & Boninger, M. L. (2016). Effectiveness of Group Wheelchair Skills Training for People With Spinal Cord Injury: A Randomized Controlled Trial. Archives of physical medicine and rehabilitation, 97(10), 1777–1784.e3. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apmr.2016.04.006
Disclaimer
The contents of this quick review were developed under a grant from the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR grant number 90DPKT0009). NIDILRR is a Center within the Administration for Community Living (ACL), Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The contents of this quick review do not necessarily represent the policy of NIDILRR, ACL, HHS, and you should not assume endorsement by the Federal Government.