Movement Disorders
Conditions
Keywords
rehabilitation, wheelchairs, safety, disability evaluation, motor skills
Brief summary
This is a 3-year multi-centre, single-blinded, randomized controlled trial (RCT) to test the hypothesis that wheelchair skills training (using a systematic training program called the Wheelchair Skills Training Program) improves wheelchair skills and safety of 144 powered wheelchair users. A second objective is to assess the effects of age, sex, training centre, and participant experience on outcomes, assessing the retention of benefits and assessing the impact of training on other important outcomes.
Interventions
A training program that uses methods based on the rehabilitation, wheelchair, and motor skills literature to teach wheelchair skills.
Sponsors
Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR)
Nova Scotia Health Authority
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
SUPPORTIVE_CARE
Masking
SINGLE (Outcomes Assessor)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
* new or experienced powered wheelchair users * use or are expected to use powered wheelchairs for at least 4 hrs/week * have access to a powered wheelchair with a suitable range of controller settings (i.e. able to climb a 5cm level change) for testing and training * equal or greater than 18 years of age * able to follow directions in either French or English (whichever is in use at the participating site) * have the potential to operate their powered wheelchairs independently * have room for improvement (in the opinion of the potential participant's clinician) * requires no more than minimal assistance for communication and auditory comprehension (in the opinion of the potential participant's clinician) * able to follow 2-step commands * demonstrate the ability to attend training sessions during the intake session * competent to provide their own informed consent * able to be comfortably seated in the powered wheelchairs that will be used for the study (if not their own).
Exclusion criteria
* use or are expected to use a scooter * have a rapidly progressive disorder (e.g. amyotrophic lateral sclerosis or terminal cancer) * have significant visual impairments (legally blind) * have unstable medical conditions (e.g. angina, seizures) * have emotional problems (e.g. severe anxiety, depression) that might make participation unsafe or unpleasant
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Change from baseline in Wheelchair Skills, WST 4.1 questionnaire version | baseline, 1 month , 3 months | A measure of what the person 'can do' (capacity), 'does do' (performance), and the safety of various wheelchair skills. The Wheelchair Skills Test (WST) version 4.1 in questionnaire format will be used. |
Countries
Canada
Outcome results
None listed