Effectiveness of a Wheelchair Skills Training Program for Power Mobility Users: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Not Applicable

Completed

• Conditions: Movement Disorders
• Interventions: Other: Wheelchair skills training program

• Registration Number: NCT01432418
• Lead Sponsor: Nova Scotia Health Authority

Brief Summary

This is a 3-year multi-centre, single-blinded, randomized controlled trial (RCT) to test the hypothesis that wheelchair skills training (using a systematic training program called the Wheelchair Skills Training Program) improves wheelchair skills and safety of 144 powered wheelchair users. A second objective is to assess the effects of age, sex, training centre, and participant experience on outcomes, assessing the retention of benefits and assessing the impact of training on other important outcomes.

Detailed Description

Not available

Study Timeline

• Study First Submitted: 2011-09-08
• Study First Submitted QC: 2011-09-09
• Study First Posted: 2011-09-13
• Study Start: 2012-06
• Primary Completion: 2014-09
• Study Completion: 2014-09
• Status Verified: 2016-05
• Last Update Submitted: 2016-05-06
• Last Update Posted: 2016-05-09

Recruitment & Eligibility

• Status: COMPLETED
• Sex: All
• Target Recruitment: 116

Inclusion Criteria

• new or experienced powered wheelchair users
• use or are expected to use powered wheelchairs for at least 4 hrs/week
• have access to a powered wheelchair with a suitable range of controller settings (i.e. able to climb a 5cm level change) for testing and training
• equal or greater than 18 years of age
• able to follow directions in either French or English (whichever is in use at the participating site)
• have the potential to operate their powered wheelchairs independently
• have room for improvement (in the opinion of the potential participant's clinician)
• requires no more than minimal assistance for communication and auditory comprehension (in the opinion of the potential participant's clinician)
• able to follow 2-step commands
• demonstrate the ability to attend training sessions during the intake session
• competent to provide their own informed consent
• able to be comfortably seated in the powered wheelchairs that will be used for the study (if not their own).

Exclusion Criteria

• use or are expected to use a scooter
• have a rapidly progressive disorder (e.g. amyotrophic lateral sclerosis or terminal cancer)
• have significant visual impairments (legally blind)
• have unstable medical conditions (e.g. angina, seizures)
• have emotional problems (e.g. severe anxiety, depression) that might make participation unsafe or unpleasant

Study & Design

• Study Type: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Design: PARALLEL

Arm && Interventions

Group	Intervention	Description
wheelchair training	Wheelchair skills training program	-

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Change from baseline in Wheelchair Skills, WST 4.1 questionnaire version	baseline, 1 month , 3 months	A measure of what the person 'can do' (capacity), 'does do' (performance), and the safety of various wheelchair skills. The Wheelchair Skills Test (WST) version 4.1 in questionnaire format will be used.

Trial Locations

Locations (6)

Centre de Réadaptation Lucie-Bruneau; 🇨🇦 Montreal, Quebec, Canada

Nova Scotia Rehabilitation Centre; 🇨🇦 Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada

GFS Rehabilitation Centre; 🇨🇦 Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

University of Western Ontario; 🇨🇦 London, Ontario, Canada

Toronto Rehab; 🇨🇦 Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Centre Interdisciplinaire de Recherche en Réadaptation et Intégration Sociale; 🇨🇦 Quebec City, Quebec, Canada