Abstract
Objective
To test the effect that indicators of mobility device quality have on participation
outcomes in community-dwelling adults with spinal cord injury, traumatic brain injury,
and stroke by using structural equation modeling.
Design
Survey, cross-sectional study, and model testing.
Setting
Clinical research space at 2 academic medical centers and 1 free-standing rehabilitation
hospital.
Participants
Community-dwelling adults (N=250; mean age, 48±14.3y) with spinal cord injury, traumatic
brain injury, and stroke.
Interventions
Not applicable.
Main Outcomes Measures
The Mobility Device Impact Scale, Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information
System Social Function (version 2.0) scale, including Ability to Participate in Social
Roles and Activities and Satisfaction with Social Roles and Activities, and the 2
Community Participation Indicators' enfranchisement scales. Details about device quality
(reparability, reliability, ease of maintenance) and device type were also collected.
Results
Respondents used ambulation aids (30%), manual (34%), and power wheelchairs (30%).
Indicators of device quality had a moderating effect on participation outcomes, with
3 device quality variables (repairability, ease of maintenance, device reliability)
accounting for 20% of the variance in participation. Wheelchair users reported lower
participation enfranchisement than did ambulation aid users.
Conclusions
Mobility device quality plays an important role in participation outcomes. It is critical
that people have access to mobility devices and that these devices be reliable.
Keywords
List of abbreviations:
CFA (confirmatory factor analysis), CI (confidence interval), PROMIS (Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System), RMSEA (root mean square error of approximation), SCI (spinal cord injury), SEM (structural equation modeling), TBI (traumatic brain injury), TLI (Tucker-Lewis index)To read this article in full you will need to make a payment
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: August 04, 2017
Footnotes
Supported by a Rehabilitation Research and Training Center grant from the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (grant no. H133B090024).
Disclosures: none.
Identification
Copyright
© 2017 by the American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine
