Wheelchair users function and satisfaction with modified wheelchair and intermediate wheelchair services in Pakistan.

Abstract

Wheelchair users with poor trunk control and postural abnormalities require additional posture support devices and wheelchair modifications to sit upright. Therefore, this study was conducted to observe the function of wheelchair users in the modified wheelchair and their satisfaction with both the modified wheelchair and intermediate wheelchair service. A descriptive study was conducted, and 14 participants were recruited through consecutive sampling. Post-intervention data were collected from these wheelchair users using the Functioning Every Day with a Wheelchair (FEW) and the Quebec User Evaluation of Satisfaction with Assistive Technology (QUEST) questionnaires. The data were analyzed through frequency tables and a two-sample t-test. The scores indicated that wheelchair users functioned well in the modified wheelchairs. The range of FEW was 4.8 to 5.6, respectively, with a mean of 5.15 ± 0.227, out of a maximum possible score of 6. The QUEST device sub-score was 4.514 ± 0.2381 and the service sub-score was 4.550 out of a maximum possible score of 5 (SD = 0.3716) indicating that the users were highly satisfied with both the modified wheelchairs and intermediate service provided. Wheelchair users functioned well in the modified wheelchair and expressed a high level of satisfaction with both the modified wheelchair and intermediate wheelchair service provided.