The extent to which caregivers enhance the wheelchair skills capacity and confidence of power wheelchair users: a cross-sectional study

Publication date: Available online 3 January 2018
Source:Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
Author(s): R. Lee Kirby, Paula W. Rushton, Francois Routhier, Louise Demers, Laura Titus, Jan Miller-Polgar, Cher Smith, Mike McAllister, Chris Theriault, Kara Matheson, Kim Parker, Bonita Sawatzky, Delphine Labbé, William C. Miller
ObjectiveThe objectives of this study were to test the hypothesis that caregivers enhance the wheelchair skills capacity and confidence of the power wheelchair users to whom they provide assistance and to describe the nature of that assistance.DesignMulti-center cross-sectional study.SettingRehabilitation centers and communities.ParticipantsWe studied 152 participants – 76 caregivers and 76 wheelchair users.InterventionNone.Main Outcome MeasuresVersion 4.3 of the Wheelchair Skills Test (WST) and WST Questionnaire (WST-Q). For each of the 30 individual skills, we recorded data about the wheelchair user alone and in combination ("blended") with the caregiver.ResultsThe mean (SD) total WST capacity scores for the wheelchair users alone and blended were 78.1 (9.3)% and 92.4 (6.1)%, with a mean difference of 14.3 (8.7)% (p < 0.0001). The mean (SD) WST-Q capacity scores were 77.0 (10.6)% and 93.2 (6.4)%, with a mean difference of 16.3 (9.8)% (p < 0.0001). The mean (SD) WST confidence scores were 75.5 (12.7)% and 92.8 (6.8)%, with a mean difference of 17.5 (11.7)% (p < 0.0001). The mean differences corresponded to relative improvements of 18.3%, 21.0% and 22.9%. The nature and benefits of the caregivers' assistance could be summarized in 7 themes (e.g. "caregiver provides verbal support [cueing, coaching, reporting about the environment]").ConclusionsCaregivers significantly enhance the wheelchair skills capacity and confidence of the power wheelchair users to whom they provide assistance and they do so in a variety of ways. These findings have significance for wheelchair skills assessment and training.



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