Article

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the equivalency of wheeled mobility and seating
assessments delivered under 2 conditions: in person (IP) at a local clinic and
via Telerehabilitation at remotely located clinics.
DESIGN: The study used a
prospective, multicenter controlled nonrandomized design to investigate wheeled
mobility and seating assessments. SETTING: Five wheelchair clinics in Western
Pennsylvania. PARTICIPANTS: Participants (N=98) in need of new wheeled mobility
and seating were recruited and consented for IP assessments at the Center for
Assistive Technology (n=50) and Telerehabilitation (n=48) assessments at remotely
located clinics. INTERVENTIONS: The telerehabilitation condition used a custom
videoconferencing system to connect a wheeled mobility and seating expert at the
University of Pittsburgh's Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center on
Telerehabilitation to a remote clinic. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Study findings were
based on the level of function the participants showed with their new wheeled
mobility and seating devices as measured by using the Functioning Everyday with a
Wheelchair (FEW) outcome tool. RESULTS: The results revealed no significant
differences between the FEW pretest average or item scores for the 2 conditions
or the FEW posttest average or item scores except for the FEW transportation
item. The average FEW and FEW item scores reached the established clinically
relevant pretest-posttest difference of 1.85, and the change scores were
significantly different. The difference between FEW means based on posttest
confidence intervals indicated that telerehabilitation was equally effective as
IP rehabilitation. CONCLUSIONS: An expert practitioner located at least 125 miles
away from each of the remote sites used a secured videoconferencing system to
consult from a geographic distance on wheeled mobility and seating evaluations
via telerehabilitation. µ
Compared with participants receiving standard IP care,
the telerehabilitation treatment condition was equally effective on all but 1
outcome.
CI - Copyright 2010 American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine. Published by
Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Langue : ANGLAIS