Back to Search
Start Over
Effect of travel direction and wheelchair position on the ease of a caregiver getting an occupied wheelchair across a soft surface: a randomized crossover trial.
- Source :
- Disability & Rehabilitation: Assistive Technology; May2024, Vol. 19 Issue 4, p1298-1306, 9p
- Publication Year :
- 2024
-
Abstract
- To test the hypotheses that, in comparison with pushing an occupied upright manual wheelchair forward, pulling backward on the push-handles improves the objective and subjective ease with which a caregiver can get the wheelchair across a soft surface (e.g., grass, mud, sand, gravel); and the ease with which a caregiver can get the wheelchair across a soft surface improves if the wheelchair is tipped back into the wheelie position. We used a randomized crossover trial with within-participant comparisons to study 32 able-bodied pairs of simulated caregivers and wheelchair occupants. The caregiving participants moved an occupied manual wheelchair 5 m across a soft surface (7.5-cm-thick gym mats) under four conditions (upright-forward, upright-backward, wheelie-forward and wheelie-backward) in random order. The main outcome measure was time (to the nearest 0.1 s) and the main secondary measure was the ease of performance (5-point Likert scale). The upright-backward condition was the fastest (p < 0.05) and had the highest ease-of-performance scores. In the forward direction, there was no statistically significant difference in the time required between the upright and wheelie positions, but the wheelie position was considered easier. Although further study is needed, our findings suggest that caregivers should pull rather than push occupied wheelchairs across soft surfaces. In the forward direction, caregivers may find the wheelie position easier than the upright condition. These techniques have the potential to both improve the effectiveness of and reduce injuries to caregivers. Clinical Trial Registration Number: NCT 04998539 Caregivers should pull rather than push occupied manual wheelchairs across soft surfaces. In the forward direction, caregivers may find the wheelie position easier than and preferable to the upright condition. These techniques have the potential to both improve the effectiveness of and reduce injuries to caregivers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Subjects :
- SELF-evaluation
SCALE analysis (Psychology)
WHEELCHAIRS
ERGONOMICS
RESEARCH funding
PRODUCT design
STATISTICAL sampling
QUESTIONNAIRES
RANDOMIZED controlled trials
DESCRIPTIVE statistics
CROSSOVER trials
REHABILITATION centers
CAREGIVERS
ANTHROPOMETRY
COMPARATIVE studies
DATA analysis software
PEOPLE with disabilities
CAREGIVER attitudes
VIDEO recording
Subjects
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 17483107
- Volume :
- 19
- Issue :
- 4
- Database :
- Complementary Index
- Journal :
- Disability & Rehabilitation: Assistive Technology
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 176934532
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1080/17483107.2023.2170476