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Abstract
Objectives: To identify suitable tools for measuring important elements of participation for children, aged 18 months to 12 years, who need or use power mobility, and to indicate which tools should be considered for inclusion in a measurement toolkit. Methods: Parents, therapists and researchers with expertise in paediatric power mobility and participation (n = 70) completed an online modified Delphi survey, with consensus set a priori >80% agreement. Existing tools were matched against participation elements ranked most important for those in early childhood (18 months–5 years) and of school-age (6–12 years) by the panel. Results: Six out of 13 tools demonstrated potential, meeting at least three elements each, although none addressed all elements deemed important to measure by the panel. Only the Participation and Environment Measure for Children and Youth (PEM-CY) reached consensus for inclusion in a participation measure toolkit. Conclusion: Further evaluation of these tools with this population is warranted.
Acknowledgements
The authors would like to recognise the contributions and commitment of our participants, as we would not have reached consensus without their dedication. We also value the efforts of all who assisted us with recruitment – there were many from around the globe assisting in identifying suitable candidates. We are grateful to the Rehabilitation Research Program at GF Strong Rehabilitation Centre as well as Sunny Hill Health Centre for Children in Vancouver BC for their assistance and support with staff and resources. We’d like to acknowledge the significant contributions of Mark Meheriuk, Rei Ahn and Jason Tong. Finally, a special thank-you to Lori Fullerton, Cathy Clancy-Benfey, Patricia Mortenson, Beth Ott and Brodie Sakakibara for their time and input as our advisory committee. Thanks also go to 21st Century SCIENTIFIC Inc. for use of their photo for recruitment (photo source http://www.wheelchairs.com/photos/narrowhframe/kidsandbike2.jpg).
Declaration of interest
The authors report no declarations of interest. The first author acknowledges financial support from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) Fellowship Award, and the Canadian Occupational Therapy Foundation (COTF) Blake Medical Doctoral Scholarship Award. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of this paper.