Correlates of Self-Reported Wheelchair Skills Test Questionnaire Scores of New Mobility Scooter Users

Research Objectives To describe the self-reported scooter-skill scores of new mobility scooter users and to identify significant correlations with other characteristics and measures. Design Survey, cross-sectional. Setting General community of Greater Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Participants Participants were a convenience sample of 22 new scooters users (with less than one-month experience using their devices) who were able to transfer in and out of a scooter independently. Interventions Not applicable. Main Outcome Measures Participants completed the Wheelchair Skills Test Questionnaire (WST-Q) Version 4.3 [1] for scooters users. It measures the users’ perceived capacity (what they can do), performance (what they actually do), and confidence (or self-efficacy). Participants completed standardized measures of cognition [2], hearing, vision [3], life space mobility[4], visual attention and task switching [5], and confidence negotiating the social environment [6] using their scooters. Their scooter skills were also measured objectively with the Wheelchair Skills Test (WST). Results Mean total WST-Q capacity scores were 83% and performance scores were 25%. WST-Q capacity scores were significantly positively correlated with WST-Q performance (r=0.321) and confidence scores (r=0.787), WST capacity scores (r=0.488), and confidence negotiating the social environment (r=0.463). WST-Q capacity scores were significantly negatively correlated with visual attention and task switching (r=-0.591) and age (r=-0.531). Conclusions Most correlations between WST-Q scores and other variables are similar to those found in studies of experienced scooters and power mobility device users. However, the gap between capacity and performance scores highlights the potential need for additional skills training in this population, which should be evaluated in future intervention studies. Author(s) Disclosures No commercial party having a direct financial interest in the results of the research supporting this article has or will confer a benefit upon the author(s) or upon any organization with which the author(s) is/are associated.