Wheelchair (Powered) Colliding With Stationary Object Clinical Trial
Official title:
The McGill Immersive Wheelchair (miWe) Simulator for the Clinical Assessment and At-home Training of Powered Wheelchair Driving Skills
This study evaluates the effectiveness of a wheelchair simulator in the training of power wheelchair driving skills. Practice with the simulator takes place at home.
Mobility impairment is a major form of disability affecting Canadians of all ages. In Canada,
an estimated 0.6% of the general population need a wheelchair for mobility, while 20-30% of
these require a powered wheelchair (PW). Powered mobility is instrumental in facilitating
independence, promoting participation in meaningful life activities, and in decreasing the
burden on caregivers. Recovering mobility through the use of a PW may result in improvements
at the level of work, leisure and self-care. But because of their weight and speed, training
is required, as for any other vehicle. Further, PWs have an inherent risk of causing injuries
to the user or to bystanders, as well as damage to the environment. Therefore, assessment and
training are critical, so that participants may learn how to safely and efficiently handle
their PW, e.g., to avoid tips and falls, for maneuvering in tight spaces and to avoid
collisions with furniture or bystanders. However, assessment and training in navigating
crowded spaces or in complex route finding are often difficult to achieve in the clinic, due
to lack of space or concerns for safety. There is no standardized training process and in
practice, there is often little time for training during the PW delivery process. Further,
both clinicians and PW users agree that the amount of training provided to new PW drivers is
insufficient. To address these issues, team members have initiated work related to the
development of McGill Immersive Wheelchair (miWe) simulator version 1.0. This computer
software can be run in the clinic or at home, and has the potential to provide a robust
platform for the assessment and training of complex PW driving skills.
The objectives are: 1) to identify power wheelchair tasks that are challenging and/or unsafe
and are likely to be encountered by power wheelchair users. Phase 2) To create simulator maps
representing the tasks determined to be most challenging to users as per Phase 1. 3a) To
evaluate, in new PW users, the feasibility and acceptability of power wheelchair training
offered in a home-based simulator program that incorporates challenging tasks developed in
Phase 2. 3b) To determine the preliminary comparative effectiveness of power wheelchair
training using conventional training + a home-based simulator program VERSUS conventional
training + home-based joystick and visuo-spatial training program on: driving skills
(technical knowledge about wheelchair maneuvering and completion of driving tasks); driving
performance (how the task is performed); and driving confidence.
;