Article

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the frequency of repairs that occurred in a 6-month period and the consequences of breakdowns on
wheelchair users living with spinal cord injuries (SCIs), and to determine
whether certain wheelchair and subject characteristics are associated with an
increased number of repairs and adverse consequences.
DESIGN: Convenience sample
survey. SETTING: Sixteen Model Spinal Cord Injury Systems Centers that are part
of the national database funded through the Department of Education, National
Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research. PARTICIPANTS: People with
SCI who use a wheelchair for more than 40h/wk (N=2213). INTERVENTION: Not
applicable. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The frequency of wheelchair repairs and
occurrence of adverse consequences caused by a wheelchair breakdown in a 6-month
period. RESULTS: Within a 6-month period, 44.8% of full-time wheelchair users
completed a repair, and 8.7% had an adverse consequence occur. People who use
power wheelchairs required significantly more repairs (P<.001), and adverse
consequences occurred more frequently (P<.001) compared with manual wheelchair
users. The presence of power seat functions, and a person's occupational status
or sex did not influence the number of repairs or adverse consequences.
CONCLUSIONS: Frequent repairs and breakdown can negatively impact a person's life
by decreasing community participation and threatening health and safety.
Mandatory compliance with the American National Standards Institute and the
Rehabilitation Engineering and Assistive Technology Society of North America
standards, changes in insurance reimbursement policy, and patient and clinician
education are necessary to reduce the number of repairs and adverse consequences that occur.

Langue : ANGLAIS