Clinical Research Directory

Observational Study on Changing the Quality of Life in Daily Life Activities After Clinical Approach Positioning the Wheelchair

Stemming from the common practice of attribution of the technical helps in the posture in Canada, the multidisciplinary approach of positioning develops in France for more than 10 years old. To date, no observatory study was led to estimate the impact of such consultation in daily activities, an essential objective conditioning the observance and the acceptance of assistive devices. This study wants to estimate the impact through modification of WHOM scale.

Wheelchair Skills Training for Children and Youth

Manual wheelchair (MWC) skills training is a critical component of wheelchair service provision. However, children and youth receive little to no training. MWC training effectively improves MWC skills, self-efficacy and satisfaction with participation (ie., facilitators of independent mobility and social participation) in adults. Independent mobility is especially critical for children, as it is associated with higher likelihood of employment and independent living in adulthood. Despite evidence of an effective Wheelchair Skills Training Program (WSTP) for adults, very little research has been conducted in the area of wheelchair mobility for children and youth. Two small single-group studies suggest that MWC skills training improves wheelchair skills and satisfaction with participation among individuals ages 4-17 years when training was conducted by professionals (eg. clinicians) and non-professionals (eg. peer-trainers). However, there are no controlled trials documenting the effect of MWC skills training among children and no evidence of best training approaches. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the efficacy of the WSTP for improving MWC skills, MWC confidence and participation outcomes among children and youth. A randomized controlled trial will establish efficacy of clinician led approaches to training, which may be implemented on a broader community-based scale in the future. The results of this study will provide critical evidence for best practices for improving MWC mobility during childhood. Deliverables from this study will include MWC skills training tools for clinicians, that will be made freely available through an existing website. The results will support multi-site implementation trials and exploration of community-based approaches to wheelchair skills training for children and use.