Article

The aim of the present study was to describe and test the reliability of
a comprehensive product-centered approach to assessing functional performance and
wheelchair user perceptions on device ergonomics and satisfaction of performance.
A pilot study was implemented using this approach to evaluate differences among
four manual wheelchairs. METHOD: Six wheelchair users with complete spinal cord
injury (SCI) at the thoracic level and with no previous upper limbs impairment
were recruited for this study. After finishing circuit tasks, subjects were asked
to complete a questionnaire about ergonomic wheelchair characteristics
(manoeuvrability, stability, comfort and ease of propulsion) and satisfaction
about task performance. On the other hand, objective data were recorded during
user performance as the time required to complete each test, kinetic wheelchair
propulsion data obtained with two SMARTWheels(R) and physiological parameters
(heart rate and physiological index). RESULTS: Kuschall Champion(R) and Otto Bock
Voyage(R) wheelchairs were ranked best for most ergonomic aspects specially in
manoeuvrability (p < 0.05). Less time was required to execute most of the circuit
tasks in both wheelchair models (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: This approach proposed
highlight the importance of looking both kinds of information, user perception
and user functional performance when evaluating a wheelchair or comparing across
devices.

Langue : ANGLAIS