Wheelchair Servicing for Older Adults: Cross-Sectional Study
Abstract
Abstract Background Wheelchairs are assistive mobility devices known to experience frequent part failures and breakdowns within 6 months of regular use. No tools or technologies exist to monitor the wheelchairs’ condition or usage and inform stakeholders and users regarding when or how often they need to undergo servicing to avoid critical part failure. Objective We aimed to test the association between wheelchair usage and manual wheelchair damage, part failures, and consequences for older wheelchair users and evaluate their preferences for a new wheelchair servicing technology. Methods A cross-sectional study was performed with older manual wheelchair users atInstituto Nacional de Geriatría in Mexico. Demographic data, wheelchair information, failure counts, and preferences for new technology (sensor and smartphone app for servicing) were collected using surveys. Road shocks experienced by the wheelchair were collected for a week using a sensor. Results Ten participants (mean [SD] age, 78.8 [11.8] y; 8 female and 2 male) participated. Seven experienced an average (SD) of 2.86 (1.36) self-reported part failures. Road shocks correlated with self-reported loose brake failures (r(8)=0.58, P=.09), the damaged condition of tires (r(8)=0.61, P=.1), and the damaged condition of brakes (r(8)=0.58, P=.099). No consequences were reported. Part failures increased as self-maintenance occurrences increased (r(9)=0.67, P=.04). More than 8 participants responded that they would like to…
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