Wheelchair use by veterans newly prescribed a manual wheelchair.
OBJECTIVE
To describe the characteristics of the wheelchairs, the users, and their wheelchair use among persons newly prescribed a manual wheelchair.


METHODS
Cohort study.


METHODS
Veterans Affairs teaching hospital.


METHODS
Ninety-nine consecutive, cognitively intact veterans prescribed a manual wheelchair.


METHODS
Not applicable.


METHODS
Self-reported difficulty transferring into and propelling the wheelchair; and bathroom mobility method.


RESULTS
Study patients had a mean age of 66 and a mean of 10 comorbid medical conditions. Parkinsonism, osteoporosis, joint replacement, and amputation were uncommon (<30% of patients), but had a high impact on need for a wheelchair (when present were reported by >50% of patients as causing need for a wheelchair). Falls and arthritis were common (>50% of patients) and highly impacted need for a wheelchair. At 1 month, over 30% of patients had wheelchairs that did not meet common criteria for wheelchair fit; 36% and 61%, respectively, reported difficulty transferring and propelling the wheelchair. The wheelchairs were used for bathroom mobility by 38% of the patients.


CONCLUSIONS
The typical manual wheelchair recipient in this study sample was old with multiple medical problems. Despite provision of manual wheelchairs by trained professionals and availability of diverse wheelchair types, new wheelchair users commonly reported difficulty using the wheelchair.
Ganesh
Shanti
S
Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, USA. sganesh@ric.org
Hayter
Anthony
A
Kim
Jongphil
J
Sanford
Jon
J
Sprigle
Stephen
S
Hoenig
Helen
H
D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000368:Aged; D015331:Cohort Studies; D015897:Comorbidity; D004867:Equipment Design; D006304:Health Status; D006787:Hospitals, Veterans; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009657:North Carolina; D014728:Veterans; D014910:Wheelchairs / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*