Wheelchair utilization and satisfaction following cerebral vascular accident

The purpose of this cross-sectional descriptive study was to determine the extent to which wheelchairs prescribed during rehabilitation are used and perceived as satisfactorily meeting individual mobility, functional, psychological and social needs of veterans who have had a stroke. Forty-nine veterans were interviewed during a one-time visit to the Veterans Affairs Medical Center. Questionnaires on demographics, medical status, functional independence, cognition, social integration, depression, health status and well-being, and wheelchair use and satisfaction were administered. Fifteen participants (31%) no longer used their wheelchairs. Primary reasons included improved physical function (93%) and use of alternative mobility aids (87%). Use by continued wheelchair users ranged from less than 1 hour each day (29%) to more than 8 hours each day (3%). Participants who retained use of the wheelchair were satisfied with its performance. Continued use was associated with impaired mobility, physical dysfunction, and physical dependence. Participants who no longer used their wheelchairs had used them an average of 13 weeks. Medical and psychosocial problems unrelated to wheelchair use were common. Almost 45% of the participants had impaired socialization, 80% had severely compromised occupations, and 41 percent displayed mild to severe depression. Although wheelchair use declined for 31% of the participants, primarily as a result of improved physical function, it is evident that a number of wheelchairs were issued at great expense that were no longer needed. This finding, as well as the reporting of problems unrelated to wheelchair use, suggests the need for reevaluation of mobility and psychosocial needs during the years following rehabilitation for a stroke.