The objective of this research study is to assess the effectiveness of a remote wheelchair maintenance training program, and to determine methods which may increase overall success of an online training program.
Up to 100 individuals will be recruited for this research study. We will recruit individuals who use a wheelchair for the majority of their mobility (over 40 hours per week), and have a traumatic spinal cord injury (SCI). This study will be accessed entirely online and participation is expected to last approximately one year. Subjects will select to participate in one of three groups; one group that will receive maintenance training immediately with no follow up, one group that will receive the maintenance training immediately with 1 month and 6 month follow up, and one group that will be randomized to either receive the maintenance training immediately or after 6 months. The maintenance training program itself will take approximately 1-2 hours to complete. After obtaining informed consent, participants in the first two groups will complete baseline questionnaires. They will then receive the maintenance training program. Participants in the third group (a wait-list control group) will complete the baseline questionnaires and be contacted one month later to complete a wheelchair maintenance assessment questionnaire. They will then wait 5 months. After this period, participants will complete the baseline questionnaires a second time, and then receive the wheelchair maintenance training. After completing the maintenance training, all groups will be contacted immediately post training to complete additional questionnaires to assess the effectiveness of the remote training program. Participants in the 2nd and 3rd group will be contacted 1 month and 6 months post-training to complete additional questionnaires. Participants may be compensated for their time.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
SUPPORTIVE_CARE
Masking
NONE
Enrollment
187
Wheelchair Maintenance Training Program: WMTP training consists of three parts. It starts with an overview of basic wheelchair maintenance items, continues with the second section discussing how to inspect the parts of a wheelchair and finishes with the third section discussing how to perform wheelchair maintenance on a wheelchair. Throughout the course, there are videos and pictures demonstrating the activities discussed in the training program. Participants will also be informed when a repair requires professional assistance and where such assistance may be found.
University of Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States
Change in Wheelchair Maintenance Training Questionnaire (WMT-Q)
The WMT-Q has three sub scales which measure of an individual's knowledge of maintenance (knowledge), their or their caregiver's ability to complete maintenance (capacity), and the frequency at which they or their caregiver perform it (performance). Each subscale ranges from 0-100 with larger numbers indicating greater proficiency.
Time frame: This measure is collected at baseline, pre- training, during the training, as well as at the 1 month and 6 month follow ups.
Change in Assistive Technology Module Questionnaire (ATM-Q)
This outcome measure collects information on the number of repairs an individual's wheelchair required as well as the incidence of subsequent consequences from the repair - stranded, injured, missed work or school, or missed a medical appointment.
Time frame: This measure is collected at baseline, pre- training, and at the 6 month follow up.
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