A Pilot Study on Community Usage of a Pushrim-Activated, Power-Assisted Wheelchair

Manual wheelchair propulsion combined with other stresses to the upper extremities may result in secondary injury. Possible solutions would be to devise alternative methods of propulsion, such as a pushrim-activated, power-assist wheelchair (PAPAW). The goals of this study were to examine the usage...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Assistive technology 2003-12, Vol.15 (2), p.113-119
Main Authors: Fitzgerald, Shirley G., Arva, Julianna, Cooper, Rory A., Dvorznak, Michael J., Spaeth, Donald M., Boninger, Michael L.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult
Consumer Behavior - statistics & numerical data
Driving characteristics
Electric Power Supplies
Electronics - instrumentation
Ergonomics
Female
Health technology assessment
Humans
Male
Motor Vehicles
Pilot Projects
Propulsion
Residence Characteristics
Surveys and Questionnaires
Wheelchairs
Wheelchairs - utilization
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Summary:Manual wheelchair propulsion combined with other stresses to the upper extremities may result in secondary injury. Possible solutions would be to devise alternative methods of propulsion, such as a pushrim-activated, power-assist wheelchair (PAPAW). The goals of this study were to examine the usage of the PAPAW in a real world setting and to characterize the driving habits of manual wheelchair users. Feedback was also obtained regarding subjects' opinions with respect to the PAPAW: their likes and dislikes. A PAPAW was provided to subjects for 2 weeks. Usage (average and total distance traveled and velocity) was tracked for both the PAPAW and the subjects' own wheelchairs. Significant differences in usage were not seen between the personal wheelchairs or the PAPAW. As a result, weeks were combined to provide an overall examination of driving characteristics. The average distance traveled over an average day was 1,671.4 ± 314.8 m with an average velocity of 0.44 ± 0.09 m/second. This pilot study provides an idea of manual wheelchair usage in a population of individuals with spinal cord injury. The lack of significant findings between the PAPAW and the subjects' own wheelchairs may be a function of study methodology such as sample size and length of follow-up in the new wheelchair. Future studies should expand upon the pilot work completed here, strengthening the design.
ISSN:1040-0435
1949-3614
DOI:10.1080/10400435.2003.10131895