A study on the effects of modified wheelchair skills program (WSP) for hemiplegic clients

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the modified WSP for improving wheelchair skills capacity, perceived satisfaction and performance in daily activities for hemiplegia patients in Korea. The modified WSP was tailored to better fit the environment and the treatment needs of hemiplegic patients in Korea. The resulting training procedure was augmented to help hemiplegic patients understand the basic mechanics of the wheelchair. To assess the efficacy of the modified WSP, 24 hemiplegic patients were selected as subjects and WST, COPM, K-MBI, and subjective opinion surveys were utilized. The results of the training showed significant improvement of WST, COPM, K-MBI scores in the experimental group and especially, the WST and COPM score showed statistically insignificant improvement compared to the control group. A modified WSP may prove effective for hemiplegic patients who exhibit low volition or are experiencing wheelchair use for the first time.

KEYWORDS:

• hemiplegia
• training
• wheelchairs