Wheelchair rider injuries : Causes and consequences for wheelchair design and selection

An understanding of adverse incidents and injuries sustained by active wheelchair riders, who live and work in the mainstream of society, is needed to improve safety via wheelchair design, selection, and configuration. We interviewed 109 riders who had experienced incidents, in order to identify the...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of rehabilitation research and development 1997, Vol.34 (1), p.58-71
Main Authors: GAAL, R. P, REBHOLTZ, N, HOTCHKISS, R. D, PFAELZER, P. F
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Accidental Falls - statistics & numerical data
Accidents
Adult
Biological and medical sciences
Diseases of the osteoarticular system. Orthopedic treatment
Equipment Design
Equipment Safety
Female
Handicapped people
Humans
Incidence
Injuries
Injury Severity Score
Male
Medical sciences
Orthopedic apparatus
Radiotherapy. Instrumental treatment. Physiotherapy. Reeducation. Rehabilitation, orthophony, crenotherapy. Diet therapy and various other treatments (general aspects)
Risk Factors
Surveys and Questionnaires
Wheelchairs - adverse effects
Wheelchairs - classification
Wounds and Injuries - epidemiology
Wounds and Injuries - etiology
Wounds and Injuries - physiopathology
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Summary:An understanding of adverse incidents and injuries sustained by active wheelchair riders, who live and work in the mainstream of society, is needed to improve safety via wheelchair design, selection, and configuration. We interviewed 109 riders who had experienced incidents, in order to identify the causes of incidents and injuries they suffered. Participants reported n = 253 incidents (53% in powered wheelchairs, 47% manual) occurring within a 5-year period, comprised of 106 (42%) "Tips and Falls," 84 (33%) "Component Failures," and 63 (25%) "Other" events. Sixty-eight (27%) of the incidents caused injuries requiring medical attention, including 13 hospitalizations. Direction of Tips and Falls was associated with wheelchair type (manual or powered) and with different riding surfaces. Aspects of wheelchair stability, particularly the effects of wheelchair configuration and of different riding surfaces, are important engineering issues affecting wheelchair safety. Interpretation of the results highlights wheelchair stability mechanics. Potential design improvements are discussed.
ISSN:0748-7711
1938-1352