OBJECTIVE: To describe and compare the content, feasibility, outcome parameters, and clinimetric properties of the manual wheelchair skills tests reported in the literature. DESIGN: A systematic literature search was conducted in MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsychINFO and Current Contents. Tests were selected if they were observational tests, designed for subjects using hand-rim wheelchairs and were intended to assess wheelchair skill performance at the activity level. RESULTS: The search resulted in 34 papers, in which 24 different wheelchair skills tests were described. The skill most frequently included was wheelchair propulsion, consecutively followed by transferring, negotiating kerbs, ascending slopes, traversing tracks, sprinting and performing a wheelie. The three most frequently used outcome parameters were task performance time, independency of task performance, and physical strain during skill performance. Sensitivity to change was evaluated in three tests, validity in 10 tests, and reliability in nine tests. CONCLUSIONS: Many tests are applied to measure wheelchair skill performance using different tasks and outcome measures. This makes it difficult to compare study results. Consensus among researchers as to which skills must be included as well as to standardization of the use of measurement instruments will reduce this problem and will additionally lead to a better insight in the quality of tests.
OBJECTIVE: To describe and compare the content, feasibility, outcome parameters, and clinimetric properties of the manual wheelchair skills tests reported in the literature. DESIGN: A systematic literature search was conducted in MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsychINFO and Current Contents. Tests were selected if they were observational tests, designed for subjects using hand-rim wheelchairs and were intended to assess wheelchair skill performance at the activity level. RESULTS: The search resulted in 34 papers, in which 24 different wheelchair skills tests were described. The skill most frequently included was wheelchair propulsion, consecutively followed by transferring, negotiating kerbs, ascending slopes, traversing tracks, sprinting and performing a wheelie. The three most frequently used outcome parameters were task performance time, independency of task performance, and physical strain during skill performance. Sensitivity to change was evaluated in three tests, validity in 10 tests, and reliability in nine tests. CONCLUSIONS: Many tests are applied to measure wheelchair skill performance using different tasks and outcome measures. This makes it difficult to compare study results. Consensus among researchers as to which skills must be included as well as to standardization of the use of measurement instruments will reduce this problem and will additionally lead to a better insight in the quality of tests.
Authors: R Lee Kirby; William C Miller; Francois Routhier; Louise Demers; Alex Mihailidis; Jan Miller Polgar; Paula W Rushton; Laura Titus; Cher Smith; Mike McAllister; Chris Theriault; Kara Thompson; Bonita Sawatzky Journal: Arch Phys Med Rehabil Date: 2015-07-30 Impact factor: 3.966
Authors: François Routhier; R Lee Kirby; Louise Demers; Malgorzata Depa; Kara Thompson Journal: Arch Phys Med Rehabil Date: 2012-04-10 Impact factor: 3.966
Authors: Brodie M Sakakibara; William C Miller; Melanie Souza; Viara Nikolova; Krista L Best Journal: Arch Phys Med Rehabil Date: 2013-02-04 Impact factor: 3.966