The ANSI/RESNA wheelchair standards: sample evaluation and guide to interpreting test data for prescribing power...

This study is a joint project of ECRI and the National Rehabilitation Hospital, supported by a grant from the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR, U.S. Department of Education, Agreement No. H133E80016). ECRI is the first independent laboratory to test power wheelchairs according to the standards of the Rehabilitation Engineering Society of North America (RESNA), now known as the Association for the Advancement of Rehabilitation and Assistive Technology (AART); these standards will ultimately be distributed by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI). We tested 10 power wheelchairs, which are similar in size and configuration, from seven manufacturers; all units are intended for adult use. Our testing showed that none of the sample wheelchairs are ideal for all environments in which these devices are typically needed. Each unit has advantages that should be carefully considered when specifying a power wheelchair. Numerous factors are involved in prescribing power wheelchairs, and learning the subtle differences in features and performance of a particular model and how they will affect the user is difficult. In addition, acquiring objective information about power wheelchairs from manufacturers is not typically easy. Considering these factors, and because the standards on which we based our testing do not generally provide criteria for passing or failing models under test, we did not rate the units. The purpose of this article is to present the data collected in our study, using wheelchair performance characteristics based on some parts of the ANSI/RESNA wheelchair standards, as an example of what prescribers can expect to receive from manufacturers and to provide guidance in interpreting and applying the data in writing power wheelchair prescriptions. Thus, this article provides an overview of the types of problems faced by those who specify power wheelchairs for users, the problems faced by the users themselves, and the components that are most susceptible to damage during use.