Wheelchair skills training program: A randomized clinical trial of wheelchair users undergoing initial rehabilitation

To test the hypothesis that a brief, formalized period of additional wheelchair skills training is safe and results in significantly greater improvements in wheelchair skills performance than a standard rehabilitation program.

Randomized controlled trial.

Rehabilitation center.

Thirty-five wheelchair users (20 with musculoskeletal disorders, 15 with neurologic disorders) admitted for initial rehabilitation. Subjects' mean age +/- standard deviation (SD) was 59+/-18.3 years.

Subjects randomly allocated to the treatment group participated in the Wheelchair Skills Training Program (WSTP), averaging 4.5+/-1.5 training sessions, each 30 minutes long. Subjects in the control group did not receive any wheelchair skills training beyond that given in a typical rehabilitation stay.

Wheelchair Skills Test (WST), version 2.4, before and after training. Changes in total percentage WST score and individual skill scores were examined.

There were no adverse incidents. The control group's mean percentage score +/- SD increased from 60.1%+/-14.4% to 64.9%+/-13.3%, an 8% improvement of the posttest relative to the pretest (P=.01). The WSTP group's mean score increased from 64.9%+/-9.4% to 80.9%+/-5.6%, a 25% improvement of the posttest relative to the pretest (P<.000). The WSTP group showed significantly greater improvements than the control group (P<.000). Among the specific skills, significantly greater improvements were seen in the WSTP group for the gravel and high-curb descent skills (P<.001).

The WSTP is safe and practical and has a clinically significant effect on the independent wheeled mobility of new wheelchair users. These findings have implications for the standards of care in rehabilitation programs.