BACKGROUND: Increasing choices in assistive technology have made the process of procuring a wheelchair more complex and challenging. PURPOSE: To explore the intricacies of the procurement process from the perspectives of clients and therapists. METHODS: Thirty-four participants were interviewed, including 13 wheelchair prescribers, 14 wheelchair users, and 7 wheelchair associates (family members and caregivers). FINDINGS: Analysis revealed five main themes. "Who decides?" described varying degrees of client involvement in the procurement process. "Expert knowledge" reflected the expert knowledge that all parties possessed. "Form versus function"captured the primary and, at times, conflicting outcomes that participants wanted to achieve. "Fitting in" depicted the environmental factors that affected wheelchair procurement. "(Re)solutions" illustrated strategies that participants felt improved the process. IMPLICATIONS: This study reveals clients' experiences with wheelchair procurement, identifies potential issues therapists may encounter, and suggests possible remedies they might consider when prescribing wheelchairs within a client-centred framework.
BACKGROUND: Increasing choices in assistive technology have made the process of procuring a wheelchair more complex and challenging. PURPOSE: To explore the intricacies of the procurement process from the perspectives of clients and therapists. METHODS: Thirty-four participants were interviewed, including 13 wheelchair prescribers, 14 wheelchair users, and 7 wheelchair associates (family members and caregivers). FINDINGS: Analysis revealed five main themes. "Who decides?" described varying degrees of client involvement in the procurement process. "Expert knowledge" reflected the expert knowledge that all parties possessed. "Form versus function"captured the primary and, at times, conflicting outcomes that participants wanted to achieve. "Fitting in" depicted the environmental factors that affected wheelchair procurement. "(Re)solutions" illustrated strategies that participants felt improved the process. IMPLICATIONS: This study reveals clients' experiences with wheelchair procurement, identifies potential issues therapists may encounter, and suggests possible remedies they might consider when prescribing wheelchairs within a client-centred framework.
Authors: William B Mortenson; William C Miller; Jeanette Boily; Barbara Steele; Leslie Odell; Erin M Crawford; Guylaine Desharnais Journal: Can J Occup Ther Date: 2005-06 Impact factor: 1.614
Authors: Barbara A Crane; Margo B Holm; Douglas Hobson; Rory A Cooper; Matthew P Reed; Steve Stadelmeier Journal: Int J Rehabil Res Date: 2004-03 Impact factor: 1.479
Authors: W Ben Mortenson; Louise Demers; Paula W Rushton; Claudine Auger; Francois Routhier; William C Miller Journal: Arch Phys Med Rehabil Date: 2015-09-25 Impact factor: 3.966
Authors: W Ben Mortenson; Sharon Jang; Charlie H Goldsmith; Laura Hurd Clarke; Sandra Hobson; Richelle Emery Journal: Trials Date: 2017-05-25 Impact factor: 2.279