Abstract
Objectives
To evaluate the relation between wheelchair breakdowns, their immediate consequences,
and secondary health complications after spinal cord injury. “Immediate consequences”
occur when part of a wheelchair breaks and leaves an individual stranded or injured,
or causes him or her to miss medical appointments, work, or school.
Design
Survey, cross-sectional.
Setting
Spinal Cord Injury Model Systems Centers.
Participants
Full-time wheelchair users (N=771) with SCI from 9 Spinal Cord Injury Model Systems
Centers, with data collected between 2011 and 2016.
Interventions
Not applicable.
Main Outcome Measures
Incidence of self-reported wheelchair breakdowns within the past 6 months that did
or did not result in immediate consequences (ie, injury, being stranded, missing a
medical appointment, or an inability to attend school/work); self-perceived health
status scale; pain severity numerical rating scale; rehospitalizations; and self-reported
pressure injury development within the past 12 months.
Results
A total of 610 participants with complete data sets were included in the analyses.
When compared to those who reported no breakdowns, participants who reported 1 or
more immediate consequences had worse secondary complications: higher self-perceived
health status and pain scores (partial −η2=.009-.012, P<.05), and higher odds of rehospitalization (odds ratio: 1.86, P<.05) and pressure injury development (odds ratio: 1.73, P<.05). Secondary health complications were not different in those who reported no
immediate consequences compared to those who reported no breakdown.
Conclusions
Wheelchair breakdowns that resulted in injury, being stranded, missing medical appointments,
and/or an inability to attend work/school appear to have far-reaching impacts on health
and secondary injury. Preventing wheelchair breakdowns, through either better maintenance
or manufacturing, may be a means of decreasing secondary disability.
Keywords
List of abbreviations:
CI (confidence interval), OR (odds ratio), SCI (spinal cord injury), SPHS (self-perceived health status)To read this article in full you will need to make a payment
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: April 23, 2018
Footnotes
Supported by resources and the use of facilities at the Human Engineering Research Laboratories, VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System. The contents of this paper do not represent the views of the Department of Veterans Affairs or the US Government. This project was supported by the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR) (grant no. 90SI5008). NIDILRR is a Center within the Administration for Community Living (ACL) in the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The contents of this paper do not necessarily represent the policy of NIDILRR, ACL, HHS, and you should not assume endorsement by the federal government. This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship (grant no. 1247842) and Integrative Graduate Education and Research Training Fellowship (DGE grant no. 1144584). The contents of this publication do not necessarily reflect the view of the National Science Foundation.
Disclosures: none.
Identification
Copyright
© 2018 by the American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine
