The Wheelchair Skills Test: A pilot study of a new outcome measure

Kirby, R. Lee; Swuste, Janneke; Dupuis, Debbie J.; MacLeod, Donald A.; Monroe, Randi

doi:10.1053/apmr.2002.26823

Cited by 160 publications

(99 citation statements)

References 26 publications

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“…Several other assessment tools, specifically designed to assess the mobility and/or locomotion function of wheelchair-dependent individuals, have also been designed (reviewed by Kilkens et al 11 ). These include the Wheelchair Skills Test, 10 Wheelchair Circuit 11 and the Harvey Mobility Assessment Tool. 12 While all the described assessment tools have merit, none have yet gained as widespread acceptance as the FIM nor been associated with such a well-organised, comprehensive education and accreditation programme.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Five additional mobility and locomotor items to improve responsiveness of the FIM in wheelchair-dependent individuals with spinal cord injury

et al. 2005

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Study design: Repeated-measures design. Objectives: To assess the validity and responsiveness of five additional mobility and locomotor (5-AML) items when used in conjunction with the Functional Independence Measure (FIM) for assessing the mobility and locomotor function of individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI). Setting: Specialised acute spinal and rehabilitation units in Sydney, Australia. Methods: A previously published scale comprising five key mobility and locomotor skills was further refined. The five items included a bed mobility and vertical (floor-to-chair) transfer item and three wheelchair propulsion items (pushing 200 m over flat ground, pushing up a ramp and negotiating a kerb). A total of 43 eligible patients with SCI (ASIA A-C impairment) admitted consecutively to two acute SCI units in Sydney between 1999 and 2002 were recruited, with four being lost to follow-up. Locomotor and mobility outcomes were measured at regular intervals for up to 6 months with the FIM and the 5-AML. Construct validity of the 5-AML was assessed by testing ability of items to discriminate between different impairment groups (tetraplegia and paraplegia). Item responsiveness was assessed by analysing ability to detect changes in mobility and locomotor function over time. Factor analysis techniques were used to test the hypothesis that the 5-AML, when used in conjunction with the FIM, provides a more sensitive measure of mobility and locomotor function than the FIM alone. Results: The 5-AML items were shown to be valid and responsive, measuring aspects of 'real world' mobility and locomotor function not reflected by the FIM. The bed mobility item was highly responsive to change over time for the tetraplegic group, but quickly reached a ceiling in the paraplegic group. The vertical (floor-to-chair) transfer item showed greater responsiveness over time and less ceiling effect for the paraplegic group than any of the FIM locomotor or mobility items. The three wheelchair propulsion items better discriminated between people with tetraplegia and paraplegia, and were more sensitive to changes in locomotor ability over the 6-month period than FIM locomotor items. Results of a preliminary factor analysis indicated that the 5-AML items measure different aspects of mobility and locomotor function than the FIM. Conclusion: The 5-AML items, when used in conjunction with the FIM, provides better delineation of function between people with tetraplegia and paraplegia and provides a more responsive measure of change in function over time than the FIM alone.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Five additional mobility and locomotor items to improve responsiveness of the FIM in wheelchair-dependent individuals with spinal cord injury

et al. 2005

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“…The task on this assessment course essentially consisted of manoeuvring the wheelchair around a corridor, which was tight in several places, then going into a free space before finally going through a narrow door way [23]. We ensured that the assessment course had a balanced number of turns so as to be unbiased.…”

Section: Assessment Coursementioning

confidence: 99%

Comparing shared control approaches for alternative interfaces: A wheelchair simulator experiment

Ezeh

Trautman

Holloway

et al. 2017

2017 IEEE International Conference on Systems, Man, and Cybernetics (SMC)

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Abstract-Independent mobility is important for the selfesteem and well-being of people with mobility impairments. For people with severe disabilities, there is a body of research investigating how best to share control of motion between a person with disabilities and a "smart wheelchair". Traditionally in "shared control", the control law is a linear combination of the human's intended velocity and the path planner's velocity. However, this formulation of sharing control between a human and a machine does not guarantee safety on a theoretical level. To guarantee safety in formulating the blending of the human's input velocity and planner's velocity, we implement a practical form of probabilistic shared control formulated by Trautman. We tested this shared control by conducting experiments in a simulation where participants drive a wheelchair. The results of the experiment suggest probabilistic shared control has similar performance to linear blending in terms of significant reduction in number of collisions. However, probabilistic shared control reduced more collisions on average than linear blending did for the sip-puff switch, which is a difficult control interface to drive a wheelchair with.

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“…Wheelchair Skill Test 4.2 Power WC (WST 4.2 PWC; [30]) was selected among the instruments found, translated into Italian, and adapted to the CRA service process. The decision to use the WST was taken since during the discussion group it appeared to both users and professionals that the WST was easier and faster to complete compared to other tools.…”

Section: Studymentioning

confidence: 99%

The Provision of Powered Mobility Devices in Italy: Linking Process with Outcomes

Desideri

Trioschi²,

Agusto³

et al. 2016

Technologies

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Abstract:The present paper reports on a series of studies conducted at the Regional Center for Assistive Technology (Centro Regionale Ausili, CRA) in Bologna, Italy. Our purpose was to identify a set of internationally validated instruments and a training circuit with a view to developing a structured and validated Powered Mobility Device (PMD) assessment and training program. To develop the program, three studies were conducted in order to identify: validated measures for assessing the user's driving skills and training needs for using a PMD (Study 1); measures for evaluating the outcomes of the PMD (Study 2); and, the elements necessary for building a circuit for conducting PMD training (Study 3). In studies 1 and 2, the Wheelchair Skill Test 4.2 Power Wheelchair (WST) and the Wheelchair Outcome Measure (WhOM) were selected and pilot tested using QUEST 2.0. These studies represent an important step in the development and definition of a PMD assessment and training program to be implemented in routine clinical activities in a regional center for assistive technology in Italy. The measures, the circuit and the program will be further tested in future for validity and reliability in order to assess their efficacy in helping professionals to select the most adequate PMD for users, to conduct specific PMD training, and to evaluate PMD outcomes.

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The Wheelchair Skills Test: A pilot study of a new outcome measure

Cited by 160 publications

References 26 publications

Five additional mobility and locomotor items to improve responsiveness of the FIM in wheelchair-dependent individuals with spinal cord injury

Five additional mobility and locomotor items to improve responsiveness of the FIM in wheelchair-dependent individuals with spinal cord injury

Comparing shared control approaches for alternative interfaces: A wheelchair simulator experiment

The Provision of Powered Mobility Devices in Italy: Linking Process with Outcomes

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