Enhancing participation with power-assist device: An exploratory study in manual wheelchair users

Area of Science:

• Rehabilitation Medicine
• Assistive Technology
• Disability Studies

Background:

• Manual wheelchair users often face challenges with participation and mobility.
• Shoulder pain is a common issue for individuals relying on manual wheelchairs.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the impact of acquiring a power-assist device on participation in manual wheelchair users.
• To evaluate changes in wheelchair skills, shoulder pain, and user satisfaction after device acquisition.

Main Methods:

• Prospective multicenter cohort study involving 18 manual wheelchair users.
• Assessments included participation (Wheelchair Outcome Measure), shoulder pain (Wheelchair User's Shoulder Pain Index), skills (Wheelchair Skills Test Questionnaire), and satisfaction (Quebec User Evaluation of Satisfaction with Assistive Technology) at baseline, delivery, 3, and 6 months.

Main Results:

• Participation scores significantly increased from baseline to 3 months (p=0.0001).
• Wheelchair skills improved significantly by 6 months (p=0.0001).
• The mobility sub-score of shoulder pain significantly decreased at 6 months (p=0.03), while overall satisfaction remained stable.

Conclusions:

• Power-assist devices may enhance participation and wheelchair skills for manual wheelchair users.
• These devices show potential in reducing mobility-related shoulder pain.
• Further comparative research is recommended to validate these findings.