Outcomes in occupational therapy students' preparation for wheelchair skills training provision.

While wheelchair skills training has demonstrated highly effective outcomes for wheelchair users, prevalence of receiving comprehensive skills training is low. Studies demonstrate a wheelchair skills "bootcamp" significantly improves occupational therapy students' capacity to demonstrate wheelchair skill performance; however, how bootcamps impact students' self-efficacy to deliver skills training in future clinical practice is unclear. This study explored a large dataset collected from nine successive student cohorts attending a structured wheelchair skills bootcamp at a single site.

Telerehabilitation Delivery in Canada and the Netherlands: Results of a Survey Study.

Background: Following the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, telerehabilitation (TR) has been expanding to address the challenges and risks of in-person delivery. It is likely that a level of TR delivery will continue after the pandemic because of its advantages, such as reducing geographical barriers to service. Many pandemic-related TR initiatives were put in place quickly.

Clinical stakeholders' perspective for the integration of an immersive wheelchair simulator as a clinical tool for powered wheelchair training.

This study aimed to investigate clinical stakeholders' acceptance of an immersive wheelchair simulator as a potential powered wheelchair skills training tool. Focus groups, conducted in four rehabilitation centers, were used to obtain a rich understanding of participants' experiences and beliefs. Then, a cross-sectional survey of the simulator acceptability for clinical practice was created.

Wheelchair Skills Test Outcomes across Multiple Wheelchair Skills Training Bootcamp Cohorts.

User training is a critical component of wheelchair service delivery to ensure individuals with a mobility impairment can negotiate environmental barriers and promote their social participation. A wheelchair "bootcamp", delivered during professional preparation education, is one strategy to better prepare occupational therapists for clinical rehabilitation practice by developing their own wheelchair skills. The purpose of this study was a retrospective review of a large dataset of student cohorts from a single site and delineate bootcamp effects on the Wheelchair Skills Test-Questionnaire (WST-Q) scores.

Improvement and Retention of Wheelchair Skills Training for Students in Entry-Level Occupational Therapy Education.

Importance: Although an essential component of best practice, wheelchair skills training is often inadequate; occupational therapy practitioners' professional preparation is a contributing factor.

Objective: To assess the effectiveness of a boot camp on capacity and self-efficacy in wheelchair skills and self-efficacy in clinical practice, retention of improvements, and effective boot-camp attributes.

Design: Concurrent, embedded, mixed-methods cohort design that used blinded, repeated-measures quantitative evaluation with 4-mo follow-up and directed content analysis of a qualitative questionnaire.

Effect of an mHealth Wheelchair Skills Training Program for Older Adults: A Feasibility Randomized Controlled Trial.

Objective: To evaluate the effect of an mHealth wheelchair skills training program on clinical outcomes among older adult manual wheelchair users.

Design: 2×2 factorial randomized controlled trial.

Setting: Community setting in 2 Canadian cities.

Needs for mobility devices, home modifications and personal assistance among Canadians with disabilities.

Background: People with disabilities often require assistive devices, modifications to their home environment, and physical assistance to facilitate mobility. This study examines self-reported met and unmet needs of people with disabilities who use wheeled mobility devices, compared with non-users.

Data And Methods: The 2012 Canadian Survey on Disability followed up with 45,442 individuals who reported a disability on the 2011 National Household Survey, and obtained a 75% response rate.

A randomized control trial feasibility evaluation of an Health intervention for wheelchair skill training among middle-aged and older adults.

Background: Providing mobility skills training to manual wheelchair (MWC) users can have a positive impact on community participation, confidence and quality of life. Often such training is restricted or not provided at all because of the expense of, and limited access to, occupational and physical therapists before and after discharge. This is particularly true among middle-aged and older adults, who often have limited access to rehabilitation services and require more time to learn motor skills.

Prevalence of Wheelchair and Scooter Use Among Community-Dwelling Canadians.

Background: Mobility impairments are the third leading cause of disability for community-dwelling Canadians. Wheelchairs and scooters help compensate for these challenges. There are limited data within the last decade estimating the prevalence of wheelchair and scooter use in Canada.

Navigating uncharted territory: a qualitative study of the experience of transitioning to wheelchair use among older adults and their care providers.

Background: An increasing number of older adults are procuring a wheelchair for mobility; however, the corresponding impact on related injuries, caregiver burden, and participation restriction is concerning. To inform the development of a wheelchair training program, we pursued a clearer understanding of the experience transitioning to wheelchair use for older adult users and their care provider.

Methods: Six focus groups were conducted with older experienced wheelchair users (n = 10) and care providers (n = 4).

Rehab on Wheels: A Pilot Study of Tablet-Based Wheelchair Training for Older Adults.

Background: Alternative and innovative strategies such as mHealth and eLearning are becoming a necessity for delivery of rehabilitation services. For example, older adults who require a wheelchair receive little, if any, training for proficiency with mobility skills. This substantive service gap is due in part to restricted availability of clinicians and challenges for consumers to attend appointments.

Preliminary evidence to support a "boot camp" approach to wheelchair skills training for clinicians.

Objective: To evaluate the impact of providing intensive large-group training on wheelchair-specific self-efficacy and skill capacity among occupational therapy students.

Design: Intervention study using before-after trial.

Setting: Universities.

Development of a wheelchair skills home program for older adults using a participatory action design approach.

Restricted mobility is the most common impairment among older adults and a manual wheelchair is often prescribed to address these limitations. However, limited access to rehabilitation services results in older adults typically receiving little or no mobility training when they receive a wheelchair. As an alternative and novel approach, we developed a therapist-monitored wheelchair skills home training program delivered via a computer tablet.

A mixed methods study of student perceptions of using standardized patients for learning and evaluation.

Background: Educators recognize the value of using standardized patients (SPs) when teaching and evaluating clinical skills in rehabilitation entry-to-practice education programs but have published little supporting evidence and have yet to evaluate programmatic SP use from a student perspective. This study explored occupational and physical therapy students' perceptions of SP use in their professional education.

Methods: Recruiting current and graduated students, we conducted a two-phase mixed-methods sequential-explanatory study integrating data from a quantitative survey (phase 1) and qualitative focus groups with representative students (phase 2).

Feasibility of the Enhancing Participation In the Community by improving Wheelchair Skills (EPIC Wheels) program: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial.

Background: Many older adults rely on a manual wheelchair for mobility but typically receive little, if any, training on how to use their wheelchair effectively and independently. Standardized skill training is an effective intervention, but limited access to clinician trainers is a substantive barrier. Enhancing Participation in the Community by Improving Wheelchair Skills (EPIC Wheels) is a 1-month monitored home training program for improving mobility skills in older novice manual wheelchair users, integrating principles from andragogy and social cognitive theory.

Prevalence and facility level correlates of need for wheelchair seating assessment among long-term care residents.

Background: Wheelchairs are frequently prescribed for residents with mobility impairments in long-term care. Many residents receive poorly fitting wheelchairs, compromising functional independence and mobility, and contributing to subsequent health issues such as pressure ulcers. The extent of this problem and the factors that predict poor fit are poorly understood; such evidence would contribute greatly to effective and efficient clinical practice in long-term care.

Participation in community-based activities of daily living: comparison of a pushrim-activated, power-assisted wheelchair and a power wheelchair.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to evaluate pushrim-activated, power-assisted wheelchair (PPW) performance among dual-users in their natural environment to determine whether the PPW would serve as a satisfactory alternative to a power wheelchair for community-based activities.

Methods: A concurrent mixed methods research design using a cross-over trial was used. The outcome measures used were number of hours reported using the different wheelchairs, Quebec User Evaluation of Satisfaction with assistive Technology (QUEST), Functioning Everyday with a Wheelchair (FEW), Psychosocial Impact of Assistive Devices Scale (PIADS) and Canadian Occupational Performance Measure (COPM).