Development of the Wheelchair Interface Questionnaire and initial face and content validity.

Area of Science:

• Rehabilitation Engineering
• Assistive Technology
• Global Health

Background:

• Limited resources in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC) necessitate the development of effective outcome measures.
• Wheelchair outcome measures are crucial for supporting evidence-based practice in wheelchair provision and ensuring appropriateness.
• Existing measures do not adequately focus on the critical interface between wheelchair users and their devices.

Purpose of the Study:

• To discuss the development of the Wheelchair Interface Questionnaire (WIQ).
• To assess the face and content validity of the WIQ.
• To establish a professional perspective on the quality of the wheelchair-user interface.

Main Methods:

• Development of the WIQ based on field studies in Kenya focusing on the wheelchair-user interface.
• Investigation of face and content validity through two rounds of online surveys with 24 experienced wheelchair professionals.
• Conducting a focus group in Kenya with wheelchair professionals to refine the measure.

Main Results:

• The WIQ was iteratively modified based on participant feedback categorized by topic.
• Professionals confirmed the utility of a brief, applicable measure for capturing the user-wheelchair interface snapshot.
• Emphasis was placed on brevity, wide applicability, and providing specific feedback for design improvements.

Conclusions:

• Preliminary studies indicate that the WIQ possesses initial face and content validity.
• The WIQ serves as a valuable method for professionals to report on the wheelchair-user interface.
• The final version of the WIQ is applicable to a wide range of wheelchair users in LMIC settings.