Article

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the frequency and types of wheelchair repairs and
associated adverse consequences. DESIGN: Convenience cross-sectional sample survey. SETTING: Nine Spinal Cord Injury Model Systems Centers. PARTICIPANTS:
People with spinal cord injury who use a wheelchair >40h/wk (N=591).
INTERVENTIONS: Not applicable. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Number of repairs needed
and resulting adverse consequences, number and types of repairs completed, and
location where main repair was completed in the previous 6 months. RESULTS: There
were 591 participants responded to the survey, 63.8% (377/591) of them needed
>/=1 repair; of these, 27.6% (104/377) experienced >/=1 adverse consequence,
including 18.2% (69/377) individuals who were stranded. Of those who needed
repairs, 6.9% did not have them completed (26/377). Repairs completed on the
wheels and casters were the most frequent repair to manual wheelchairs, whereas
repairs to the electrical and power and control systems were the most frequent
type of repair on power wheelchairs. Forty percent (79/201) of manual wheelchair
users reported completing repairs at home themselves compared with 14% (21/150)
of power wheelchair users. Twelve percent of the variance in the odds of facing
an adverse consequence because of a wheelchair breakdown can be described as a
function of occupation, funding source, and type of wheelchair. CONCLUSIONS:
Wheelchair repairs are highly prevalent. There are differences in types of
repairs and who completes the repairs based on the type of wheelchair. Wheelchair
breakdowns result in adverse consequences for users, and there is a deficit
between repairs needed and those completed, highlighting the need for
interventions that address these problems.
CI - Copyright (c) 2016 American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine. Published by
Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Langue : ANGLAIS