Development of practice guidelines for Complex Rehabilitation Technology wheelchair service, preventative...

Complex Rehabilitation Technologies (CRT) are crucial to the everyday lives of people with disabilities. These devices and associated seating and positioning systems require regular maintenance, repair, and the replacement of components to maintain health, function, and participation in education, employment, and society. Despite this, research shows that these services are not being adequately provided. Standards in practice for wheelchair repair and maintenance have yet to be developed and are necessary to ensure the best quality of life for users. The purpose of this project was to establish the best practice for CRT maintenance and repair to inform all stakeholders and to improve the overall state of the issue. The authors utilized CRT failure data, initial stakeholder surveys, and guidelines from manufacturer owner's manuals to draft an initial document and implemented a cross-sectional, online questionnaire to be answered by clinicians, manufacturers, providers, and other stakeholders for the development of the "Practice Guidelines for CRT Service, Preventative Maintenance, and Repair." The survey received 145 total responses. Seventy-five were anonymous. Ninety-two stakeholders and CRT industry professionals left feedback. The feedback was analyzed, and several key themes were established. A final version of the document was created using feedback and released by iNRRTS.