Effectiveness of a wheelchair skills training programme for community-living users of manual wheelchairs in Turkey: a randomized controlled trial.

OBJECTIVE

To test the hypothesis that, in comparison with those in a control group, community-dwelling wheelchair users in Turkey who have completed the Wheelchair Skills Training Program have better total percentage performance and safety scores on the Wheelchair Skills Test.

DESIGN

Randomized controlled trial.

SUBJECTS

The study group comprised individuals (n = 24) who have to use a wheelchair for mobility in daily life. The subjects were randomly allocated to training (n = 14) and control groups (n = 10).

INTERVENTIONS

The training group attended a skill training session three times a week for four weeks. The control group did not participate in the training.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

At the beginning of the study, subjects underwent a Wheelchair Skills Test (version 4.1), which evaluated their performance and safety for a range of skills. The test was repeated at the end of the study.

RESULTS

The mean ± SD total percentage Wheelchair Skills Test performance scores increased significantly in both the training group (P = 0.002) and control group (P = 0.01), although the training group increased to a greater extent (P = 0.034). The training group's mean ± SD total percentage Wheelchair Skills Test safety scores increased significantly (P = 0.001), but there was no significant change in the control group. A statistically significant improvement was found between the total percentage Wheelchair Skills Test safety scores in the training group compared with the control group (P = 0.001).

CONCLUSION

Community-living wheelchair users who received wheelchair skills training increased their total performance and safety scores to a greater extent than a control group.