A comparison between parents' and therapists' views of their child's individual seating systems

Children with cerebral palsy are often prescribed adaptive seating systems for use in their wheelchairs for the purposes of improving posture and to help prevent the development of long-term deformity. However, clinical experience indicates that parents and the therapists who advocate the use of these systems do not always agree about the wheelchairs. This study discusses the development of questionnaires for both parents and therapists to measure differences in their opinions about the wheelchairs. The questions were developed through clinical experience, validation was through interviews to discuss topics important to the participants, and repeated application of the questionnaire ensured consistency. The reliability of the questions appears satisfactory and the interview responses demonstrate that the questions selected are important to both groups of stakeholders. However, it was found that parental concerns over their children's seating systems concentrated on functional and day-to-day management issues, whereas therapist concerns focused on technical issues and postural management. Both groups of stakeholders agreed that the questionnaires would be a useful precursor to attending a seating clinic appointment, as it could aid communication between the parent and provider and improve the efficiency and satisfaction of such an appointment. It appears the questionnaire has potential as an outcome measurement tool.