International wheelchair standards: a study of costs and benefits.

We hypothesized that extra costs incurred in meeting the requirements of wheelchair standards are recouped within the life of the wheelchair. We selected standards-quality and non-standards-quality electric wheelchairs of the same make and subjected them to accelerated life tests in a laboratory to simulate 1 year's active use. Expenses and lost time incurred due to breakdowns were monitored, and the costs of upgrading were documented. Our results support the hypothesis, within the limits imposed by the availability of only a small number of makes of electric wheelchairs of recognized standards quality. The significance of this finding is that wheelchair standards can be used to upgrade wheelchair quality in a cost-effective manner.