Outcomes measurement of a wheelchair intervention

Abstract

Purpose.The objective of this study was to collect outcomes data related to a wheelchair intervention using three outcome instruments, and to develop methodological procedures that could be incorporated easily into busy clinical practices.

Methods.This project used a repeated measures, pre-post research design. Data were collected from 31 clients at an acute rehabilitation hospital in New York, USA. Three outcomes instruments – the Psychosocial Impact of Assistive Devices Scale (PIADS), the Occupational Therapy Functional Assessment Compilation Tool (OTFACT), and Assistive Technology Outcome Measure (ATOM) – were administered over a 30-month period before and after a service delivery intervention at one month and 12 months.

Results.Results showed that correlations between different measures were low, but increased over time. The ATOM and one domain of the OTFACT were most sensitive to the intervention over time, but where ATOM values increased over time, OTFACT values decreased. PIADS scores did not exhibit significant differences over time.

Conclusion.The significance of this study lies in its methodological implications for future outcomes research. The complexities inherent in measuring interventions are discussed in terms of an instrument's constructs, research question(s), study design, subject population, and the practical considerations of collecting outcomes data within busy clinical practices.

Keywords:

• Outcomes
• assistive technology
• wheelchair
• AT intervention