Faculty of Medicine, School of Rehabilitation, Université de Montréal, Montréal, Canada.
Centre for Interdisciplinary Research in Rehabilitation of Greater Montreal, Montréal, Canada.
Disabil Rehabil Assist Technol. 2023 Oct;18(7):1229-1236. doi: 10.1080/17483107.2021.2001059. Epub 2021 Nov 22.
Manual wheelchair (MWC) confidence is a predictor of adult life-space mobility and social participation. To date, scientific literature specific to pediatric MWC confidence is scarce which prevents in-depth understanding. The objective of this study was to explore the perceptions of pediatric MWC users (PMWU), parents, and occupational therapists regarding pediatric MWC confidence.
Five focus groups were conducted with PMWUs ( = 12) and occupational therapists ( = 9), and semi-structured interviews were conducted with parents of PMWUs ( = 2). Inductive thematic analysis was performed following verbatim transcription of audio recorded material.
Three overarching themes were identified across PMWUs, parents, and occupational therapists: (1) "MWC confidence is not a clinical priority" depicted the construct's varying level of clinical priority and perceived abstractness; (2) "MWC confidence is both a child and parent consideration" revealed nuances between the PMWU's MWC confidence and the parents' perception of the PMWU's MWC confidence; and (3) "Opportunities to develop MWC confidence are context-specific" contrasted afforded and unafforded opportunities to experience independent MWC mobility.
Pediatric MWC confidence is an important aspect of wheelchair use that is shaped by a multitude of factors in PMWU's lives. This new area of pediatric study provides support for the need to measure this important construct.IMPLICATIONS FOR REHABILITATIONThis study is the first to explore children's, parents', and occupational therapists' perceptions of pediatric MWC confidence.Pediatric MWC confidence impacts MWC use in a multifaceted fashion.Future studies should consider the development and validation of a self-report measure to assess pediatric MWC confidence.
手动轮椅（MWC）信心是成人生活空间活动能力和社会参与度的预测指标。迄今为止，针对儿科 MWC 信心的科学文献很少，这阻碍了深入理解。本研究的目的是探讨儿科 MWC 用户（PMWU）、家长和职业治疗师对儿科 MWC 信心的看法。
对 12 名 PMWU 和 9 名职业治疗师进行了 5 个焦点小组讨论，并对 PMWU 的家长进行了半结构化访谈（2 名）。对录音材料的逐字记录进行了归纳主题分析。
在 PMWU、家长和职业治疗师中确定了三个总体主题：（1）“MWC 信心不是临床重点”描述了该结构的临床重点和感知抽象程度的不同水平；（2）“MWC 信心是儿童和家长都要考虑的”揭示了 PMWU 的 MWC 信心和家长对 PMWU 的 MWC 信心的看法之间的细微差别；（3）“发展 MWC 信心的机会具有特定背景”对比了 PMWU 体验独立 MWC 移动的机会和无法获得的机会。
儿科 MWC 信心是轮椅使用的一个重要方面，它受到 PMWU 生活中众多因素的影响。这一新的儿科研究领域为需要测量这一重要结构提供了支持。
本研究首次探讨了儿童、家长和职业治疗师对儿科 MWC 信心的看法。儿科 MWC 信心以多种方式影响 MWC 的使用。未来的研究应考虑开发和验证自我报告工具来评估儿科 MWC 信心。
