Abstract
Objective
To investigate the frequency and consequences of wheelchair repairs, looking at the
relationship to usage, components, out-of-pocket costs, number of days affecting the
user, and factors associated with the need for repairs or consequences.
Design
Survey, cross-sectional.
Setting
Nine spinal cord injury (SCI) Model Systems centers.
Participants
Wheelchair users with SCI (N=533).
Interventions
Not applicable.
Main Outcome Measures
Cost and incidence of wheelchair repairs and consequences and wheelchair usage within
the past 6 months.
Results
A total of 310 participants (56%) reported repairs, 127 (42%) of whom experienced
at least 1 adverse consequence lasting a median of 5 days (interquartile range [IQR],
2-17.3 days). Repair rates were highest for the seating system, electronics, and tires.
Participants were most often stranded at home or forced to use a backup chair. Median
out-of-pocket costs were $150 (IQR, $50-$620). Active users, based on type of mobility
and terrain, experienced more repairs and consequences than less active users. Repairs
were more common among those who were Black (odds ratio [OR], 2.42) or power wheelchair
(PWC) users (OR, 1.84), whereas consequences were more common among those who were
Black (OR, 2.27), PWC (OR, 2.08) or power assist users (OR, 2.76), and those who had
public insurance (OR, 1.70).
Conclusions
Wheelchair repairs continue to affect more than 50% of wheelchair users with significant
financial and personal cost. High repair rates limited participation inside and outside
of the home. Consequences lasted longer than 2 weeks for many and may be minimized
by a working backup chair. Disparities exist based on participant and wheelchair factors;
repairs and adverse consequences appear to hit those most vulnerable with the least
financial resources. Costs may be a barrier to repair completion for some individuals.
This ongoing problem of high repair rates and their associated effects requires action
such as higher standards, access to quicker service, and better training of users
on wheelchair maintenance and repair.
Keywords
List of abbreviations:
IQR (interquartile range), MWC (manual wheelchair), OR (odds ratio), PWC (power wheelchair), SCI (spinal cord injury)To read this article in full you will need to make a payment
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: April 08, 2021
Accepted:
January 19,
2021
Received in revised form:
January 13,
2021
Received:
October 6,
2020
Footnotes
Supported by the Administration for Community Living (ACL) National Institute on Disability, Independent Living and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR) (grant no, 90SI5014) and the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) (grant K23HD096134).
Disclosures: none.
Identification
Copyright
© 2021 The American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
