Organizational Unit:
Center for Inclusive Design and Innovation

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The Accuracy of New Wheelchair Users’ Predictions about their Future Wheelchair Use

2012-06 , Hoenig, Helen , Griffiths, Patricia , Ganesh, Shanti , Caves, Kevin , Harris, Frances

Objective—This study examined the accuracy of new wheelchair user predictions about their future wheelchair use. Design—Prospective cohort study of 84 community dwelling veterans provided a new manual wheelchair. Results—The association between predicted and actual wheelchair use was strong at 3-months (phi coefficient = .56), with 90% of those who anticipated using the wheelchair at 3-months still using it (i.e., positive predictive value 0.96) and 60% of those who anticipated not using it indeed no longer using the wheelchair (i.e., negative predictive value 0.60, overall accuracy 0.92). Predictive Accuracy diminished over time, with overall accuracy declining from 0.92 at 3-months to 0.66 at 6-months. At all time points, and for all types of use, patients better predicted use as opposed to disuse, with correspondingly higher positive than negative predictive values. Accuracy of prediction of usage in specific indoor and outdoor locations varied according to location. Conclusions—This study demonstrates the importance of better understanding the potential mismatch between the anticipated and actual patterns of wheelchair use. The findings suggest that users can be relied upon to accurately predict their basic wheelchair-related needs in the short term. Further exploration is needed to identify characteristics that will aid users and their providers in more accurately predicting mobility needs for the long-term.

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Characterization of Power Wheelchair Use in the Home and Community

2008 , Sonenblum, Sharon Eve , Sprigle, Stephen , Harris, Frances , Maurer, Christine L.

Objective: To characterize the use of power wheelchairs and to determine if multiple measures of mobility and occupancy jointly provide a more comprehensive picture of wheelchair usage and daily activity in full-time power wheelchair users than daily distance alone. Design: Prospective observational study. Setting: Subjects’ everyday mobility was measured in their homes and communities for two weeks and prompted recall interviews were conducted by phone. Participants: A convenience sample of 25 non-ambulatory, full-time power wheelchair users. Interventions: Not applicable. Main Outcome Measures: Wheelchair usage was logged electronically and GPS / interview data were used to isolate chair use to home, indoors but not at home and outdoor environments. Distance wheeled, time spent wheeling, number of bouts, time spent in the wheelchair and the percent of time in the wheelchair spent wheeling were measured to describe wheelchair use. Results: The median wheelchair user spent 10.6 hours (5.0-16.6) in his/her wheelchair daily and wheeled 1.085 km (0.238-10.585) over 58 minutes (16-173) and 110 bouts (36-282). Wheelchair use varied across subjects, within subjects from day-to-day, and between environments. Mobility bouts outdoors were longer and faster than those wheeled indoors. In a regression analysis, distance wheeled explained only 33% of the variation in the number of bouts and 75% in the time spent wheeling. Conclusions: Power wheelchair use varies widely both within and between individuals. Measuring distance, time and number of bouts provides a clearer picture of mobility patterns than measuring distance alone, while occupancy helps to measure wheelchair function in daily activities.

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