Effectiveness of a Wheelchair Skills Training Program for Power Mobility Users: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Sponsor

Nova Scotia Health Authority (Other)

Overall Status

Completed

CT.gov ID

NCT01432418

Collaborator

Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) (Other)

116

Enrollment

Locations

Arms

Duration (Months)

19.3

Patients Per Site

0.7

Patients Per Site Per Month

Study Details

Study Description

Brief Summary

This is a 3-year multi-centre, single-blinded, randomized controlled trial (RCT) to test the hypothesis that wheelchair skills training (using a systematic training program called the Wheelchair Skills Training Program) improves wheelchair skills and safety of 144 powered wheelchair users. A second objective is to assess the effects of age, sex, training centre, and participant experience on outcomes, assessing the retention of benefits and assessing the impact of training on other important outcomes.

Condition or Disease	Intervention/Treatment	Phase
Movement Disorders	Other: Wheelchair skills training program	N/A

Study Design

Study Type:

Interventional

Actual Enrollment :

116 participants

Allocation:

Randomized

Intervention Model:

Parallel Assignment

Masking:

Single (Outcomes Assessor)

Primary Purpose:

Supportive Care

Official Title:

Effectiveness of a Wheelchair Skills Training Program for Power Mobility Users: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Study Start Date :

Jun 1, 2012

Actual Primary Completion Date :

Sep 1, 2014

Actual Study Completion Date :

Sep 1, 2014

Arms and Interventions

Arm	Intervention/Treatment
Experimental: wheelchair training	Other: Wheelchair skills training program A training program that uses methods based on the rehabilitation, wheelchair, and motor skills literature to teach wheelchair skills.
No Intervention: Control Standard of care only

Arm

Intervention/Treatment

Experimental: wheelchair training

Other: Wheelchair skills training program

A training program that uses methods based on the rehabilitation, wheelchair, and motor skills literature to teach wheelchair skills.

No Intervention: Control

Standard of care only

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

Change from baseline in Wheelchair Skills, WST 4.1 questionnaire version [baseline, 1 month , 3 months]
A measure of what the person 'can do' (capacity), 'does do' (performance), and the safety of various wheelchair skills. The Wheelchair Skills Test (WST) version 4.1 in questionnaire format will be used.

Eligibility Criteria

Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study:

18 Years and Older

Sexes Eligible for Study:

All

Accepts Healthy Volunteers:

Inclusion Criteria:

new or experienced powered wheelchair users
use or are expected to use powered wheelchairs for at least 4 hrs/week
have access to a powered wheelchair with a suitable range of controller settings (i.e. able to climb a 5cm level change) for testing and training
equal or greater than 18 years of age
able to follow directions in either French or English (whichever is in use at the participating site)
have the potential to operate their powered wheelchairs independently
have room for improvement (in the opinion of the potential participant's clinician)
requires no more than minimal assistance for communication and auditory comprehension (in the opinion of the potential participant's clinician)
able to follow 2-step commands
demonstrate the ability to attend training sessions during the intake session
competent to provide their own informed consent
able to be comfortably seated in the powered wheelchairs that will be used for the study (if not their own).

Exclusion Criteria:

use or are expected to use a scooter
have a rapidly progressive disorder (e.g. amyotrophic lateral sclerosis or terminal cancer)
have significant visual impairments (legally blind)
have unstable medical conditions (e.g. angina, seizures)
have emotional problems (e.g. severe anxiety, depression) that might make participation unsafe or unpleasant

Contacts and Locations

Locations

	Site	City	State	Country	Postal Code
1	GFS Rehabilitation Centre	Vancouver	British Columbia	Canada	V5Z 2G9
2	Nova Scotia Rehabilitation Centre	Halifax	Nova Scotia	Canada	B3H 4K4
3	University of Western Ontario	London	Ontario	Canada	N6G 1H1
4	Toronto Rehab	Toronto	Ontario	Canada	M5G 1V7
5	Centre de Réadaptation Lucie-Bruneau	Montreal	Quebec	Canada	H2H 2N8
6	Centre Interdisciplinaire de Recherche en Réadaptation et Intégration Sociale	Quebec City	Quebec	Canada	G1M 2S8