Department of Rehabilitation Science and Technology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States of America.
International Society of Wheelchair Professionals (ISWP), University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States of America.
PLoS One. 2018 Oct 4;13(10):e0204769. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0204769. eCollection 2018.
People with mobility impairments often rely on wheelchairs as their primary means of mobility. Untrained wheelchair service providers may provide inappropriate wheelchairs and services which result in negative consequences in wheelchair users' health, quality of life, safety, and social participation. This study aimed to evaluate the influence of the Spanish Hybrid Course on Basic Wheelchair Service Provision, a training based on the World Health Organization's Wheelchair Service Training Program-Basic Level, to increase knowledge in basic level wheelchair service provision among a group of wheelchair service providers from Colombia. In addition, we developed a satisfaction survey which participants completed after the training to understand levels of satisfaction with the training intervention.
A quasi-experimental study was conducted to evaluate changes in basic level wheelchair knowledge using the Wheelchair Service Provision-Basic Test. Paired sample t tests were used to assess pre-and post-training changes in basic level wheelchair knowledge. The Hybrid Satisfaction Survey was developed in collaboration with a multidisciplinary, international stakeholders' group. The survey's construct of interest was level of satisfaction determined by interaction, instructor, instruction methodology, content, and technology, using a five-point Likert scale (0 = strongly disagree to 4 = strongly agree). The survey was completed anonymously after the training intervention and analyzed using frequencies and percentages.
Fifteen wheelchair service providers in Colombia completed the Spanish Hybrid Course. Mean post-scores were significantly higher (Mean (M) = 56.13, Standard Deviation (SD) = 7.8), than pre-assessment scores (M = 50.07, SD = 8.38, t(14) = 4.923, p = <0.0001). Participants who completed the surveys (N = 15) reported that the Spanish Hybrid Course was well received, with 98.66% of responses distributed in favorable levels (>3).
The Spanish Hybrid Course proved to be effective in increasing basic level wheelchair knowledge with a high satisfaction level among participants. Further testing is needed to evaluate the effectiveness of this course across different individuals and countries as a potential tool to build professional capacity in basic level wheelchair provision.
行动障碍者通常依赖轮椅作为主要的移动工具。未经培训的轮椅服务提供者可能会提供不合适的轮椅和服务，从而给轮椅使用者的健康、生活质量、安全和社会参与带来负面影响。本研究旨在评估西班牙基础轮椅服务提供混合课程对哥伦比亚一组轮椅服务提供者的基本轮椅服务提供知识的影响。该课程基于世界卫生组织的轮椅服务培训计划基础级别。此外，我们开发了一项满意度调查，参与者在培训后完成该调查，以了解他们对培训干预的满意度水平。
采用准实验研究，使用轮椅服务提供基础测试评估基本轮椅知识的变化。采用配对样本 t 检验评估基本轮椅知识的培训前后变化。混合满意度调查是与一个多学科、国际利益相关者小组合作开发的。该调查的感兴趣的构念是通过互动、讲师、教学方法、内容和技术来确定的满意度水平，使用五点李克特量表（0=非常不同意到 4=非常同意）。调查在培训干预后匿名完成，并使用频率和百分比进行分析。
哥伦比亚的 15 名轮椅服务提供者完成了西班牙语混合课程。后测得分明显高于前测得分（M=56.13，SD=7.8），差异具有统计学意义（t(14)=4.923，p<0.0001）。完成调查的参与者（n=15）报告称，西班牙语混合课程受到好评，98.66%的反馈处于有利水平（>3）。
西班牙语混合课程在提高基本轮椅知识方面是有效的，参与者的满意度水平较高。需要进一步的测试来评估该课程在不同个体和国家的有效性，作为在基本轮椅提供方面建立专业能力的潜在工具。
