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

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.

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Key information

Conditions

Movement Disorders Central Nervous System Diseases Nervous System Diseases

Age range

18 year and older

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

GFS Rehabilitation Centre, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

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

Treatment and study plan

Wheelchair Skills Training Program

Other

A training program that uses methods based on the rehabilitation, wheelchair, and motor skills literature to teach wheelchair skills.

Primary outcomes

Change from baseline in Wheelchair Skills, WST 4.1 questionnaire version

Time frame: 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.

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Nova Scotia Health Authority

Other

Collaborators

Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR)

Registry information

Important dates

Study start: 2012
Primary completion: 2014
Study completion: 2014
First posted: Sep 13, 2011
Registry last updated: May 9, 2016

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

Published trials that share one or more normalized conditions with this study.

Completed