Article

Objective: To test the hypothesis that the Wheelchair Skills
Training Program (WSTP) is effective in improving the wheelchair-
handling skills of untrained caregivers.
Design: Within-participant comparisons.
Setting: Rehabilitation center and community.
Participants: Twenty-four caregivers of manual wheelchair
users.
Interventions: Caregiver participants underwent the WSTP,
version 2.4, adapted for caregivers. Training was individualized
on the basis of an integrated testing-and-training protocol
that took place on a single occasion (total,
50min).
Main Outcome Measures: Total percentage scores on the
objective Wheelchair Skills Test (WST), version 2.4, for the
pretraining (N24), posttraining (N24), and retention (n9)
evaluations. For the skill-transfer evaluation (n10), we used
the questionnaire version (WST-Q), administered by telephone
to participants after return to their communities.
Results: There were no serious adverse incidents. The
mean pretraining total WST score  standard deviation was
77.8%12.0%. Posttraining, this increased to 94.7%7.1%
(P.001), a 22% relative increase. At retention testing, a
median latency of 7 days later, the mean value,
94.2%7.1%, did not decrease significantly from the posttraining
level (P.38). At skill-transfer testing, a median
latency of 179 days posttraining, the mean value,
92.5%8.7%, did not decrease significantly from the posttraining
level (P.73). The greatest improvements were at
the advanced skill level.
Conclusions: The WSTP is a safe, practical, and effective
method of improving the wheelchair-handling skills of untrained
caregivers. Skill improvements are generally well retained
and transfer well to the community. Such training could
play an important role in the rehabilitation process.

Langue : ANGLAIS