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Face and content validity for the Wheelchair Satisfaction Questionnaire.
Heather McFadden Bane1, Vicki Sheafer1, Karen Rispin2
1School of Psychology and Counseling, LeTourneau University, Longview, TX, USA.
Disability and Rehabilitation. Assistive Technology
|November 16, 2019
Summary
The Wheelchair Satisfaction Questionnaire (WSQ) measures user satisfaction with wheelchairs, crucial for improving design and provision in lower-resource settings. This tool provides valuable feedback for manufacturers and providers.
Area of Science:
- Rehabilitation engineering
- Assistive technology outcomes
- Health services research
Background:
- Economic constraints in lower-resource countries necessitate effective use of funds for assistive technology.
- Low wheelchair provision rates and inappropriate wheelchair selection highlight the need for outcome measures.
- Existing wheelchair-specific outcome measures are scarce.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop the Wheelchair Satisfaction Questionnaire (WSQ) as a measure of wheelchair user satisfaction.
- To examine the initial face and content validity of the WSQ.
Main Methods:
- The WSQ consists of 16 visual analogue scale questions with qualitative comments.
- Study 1: 15 adult manual wheelchair users completed the WSQ and provided feedback.
- Study 2: 15 Kenyan secondary school students using manual wheelchairs underwent the same procedure.
Main Results:
- High mean satisfaction scores on follow-up questionnaires indicated support for the WSQ's face and content validity.
- The WSQ demonstrated initial validity in both adult and student user groups.
Conclusions:
- The WSQ offers a quantifiable method for wheelchair users to express satisfaction with their devices.
- Data from the WSQ can inform wheelchair design and provision, particularly for lower- and middle-income countries.
- The WSQ can identify common interface problems in clinical settings, aiding rehabilitation efforts.
