Wheelchair appropriateness in patients with spinal cord injury: a Turkish experience

Abstract

Study design: Descriptive. Objective: To determine the wheelchair appropriateness in patients with spinal cord injury (SCI). Setting: National Rehabilitation Center in Ankara, Turkey. Methods: Twenty-seven (25 male, 2 female) SCI patients were included. Demographic and clinical characteristics of the patients were noted. All wheelchairs were evaluated considering each part (seat length, seat depth, seat height, back height, armrest, headrest, wheels and seat belt) by a physiatrist who had attended the wheelchair-training course. The wheelchair was declared as inappropriate if at least three parts of wheelchair were not appropriate. Results: The mean age of the patients was 32.9 ± 9.3 years and mean duration of wheelchair use was 19.63 ± 23.02 months. Among the patients, 21 (77.8%) were American Spinal Injury Association Impairment Scale (AIS) A, 4 (3.7%) AIS B, 1 (3.7%) AIS C and 1 (3.7%) AIS D. Five (18.5%) wheelchairs were motorized and 22 (81.5%) were manual. Overall, 15 (55.6%) wheelchairs were inappropriate. Seat height, cushion and back height were the most common inappropriate parts. Conclusion: In light of our first and preliminary results, we can argue that 55% of the patients with SCI use inappropriate wheelchairs. In order to achieve better mobility; personally designed wheelchairs should be prescribed by the clinicians.

Traumatic spinal cord injury in the north-east Tanzania – describing incidence, etiology and clinical outcomes retrospectively

“…Appropriate wheelchairs, which are a prerequisite for mobility and function, are hard to obtain and afford in most lower income countries [34], even worse in the rural settings. In Tanzania particularly the setting for this study, more days are spent in the hospital by persons with TSCI awaiting a donated or subsidized wheelchair, as they cannot afford one by themselves.…”

Perspectives of wheelchair users with spinal cord injury on fall circumstances and fall prevention: A mixed methods approach using photovoice

“…Yet, 55-68% of wheelchair users use inappropriate wheelchairs (e.g. inappropriate seat height, cushion and back height) due to factors such as users' obtaining wheelchairs without a prescription, wheelchairs were prescribed by non-specialized centres, errors in prescription and construction of wheelchairs, and challenges with insurances and refunding systems [48,49]. In order to reduce/prevent fall risk and fall-related injuries, improvements in accessibility of wheelchair prescription and appropriate follow-up are needed for wheelchair users living in the community [48,49].…”

Head support in wheelchairs (scoping review): state-of-the-art and beyond

“…In general, only a few clinical studies have been conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of commercially available static and dynamic head supports with wheelchair users [5,[21][22][23]. Moreover, case studies and case series were found reporting the outcomes after implementation of (customised) head support solutions or wheelchair systems [24][25][26][27], as well as cross-sectional surveys for several user groups [28][29][30]. Other non-clinical studies describe the development [31][32][33][34] and system testing [35][36][37] of wheelchair mounted head support systems.…”