Gaal R P, Rebholtz N, Hotchkiss R D, Pfaelzer P F
Wheeled Mobility Center, School of Engineering, San Francisco State University, CA 94132, USA.
J Rehabil Res Dev. 1997 Jan;34(1):58-71.
An understanding of adverse incidents and injuries sustained by active wheelchair riders, who live and work in the mainstream of society, is needed to improve safety via wheelchair design, selection, and configuration. We interviewed 109 riders who had experienced incidents, in order to identify the causes of incidents and injuries they suffered. Participants reported n = 253 incidents (53% in powered wheelchairs, 47% manual) occurring within a 5-year period, comprised of 106 (42%) "Tips and Falls," 84 (33%) "Component Failures," and 63 (25%) "Other" events. Sixty-eight (27%) of the incidents caused injuries requiring medical attention, including 13 hospitalizations. Direction of Tips and Falls was associated with wheelchair type (manual or powered) and with different riding surfaces. Aspects of wheelchair stability, particularly the effects of wheelchair configuration and of different riding surfaces, are important engineering issues affecting wheelchair safety. Interpretation of the results highlights wheelchair stability mechanics. Potential design improvements are discussed.
为了通过轮椅设计、选择和配置来提高安全性，需要了解在社会主流中生活和工作的活跃轮椅使用者所遭受的不良事件和伤害情况。我们采访了109名有过事故经历的使用者，以确定他们遭遇事故和受伤的原因。参与者报告称，在5年时间内共发生了n = 253起事故（电动轮椅事故占53%，手动轮椅事故占47%），其中包括106起（42%）“倾翻和跌倒”、84起（33%）“部件故障”以及63起（25%）“其他”事件。68起（27%）事故导致需要医疗救治的伤害，其中包括13例住院治疗。倾翻和跌倒的方向与轮椅类型（手动或电动）以及不同的行驶路面有关。轮椅稳定性方面，特别是轮椅配置和不同行驶路面的影响，是影响轮椅安全的重要工程问题。对结果的解读突出了轮椅稳定性机制。文中还讨论了潜在的设计改进措施。
