title: Innovative Power Wheelchair Control Interface: A Proof-of-Concept Study.
abstract: Some people without independent mobility are candidates for powered mobility but are unable to use a traditional power wheelchair joystick. This proof-of-concept study tested and further developed an innovative method of driving power wheelchairs for people whose impairments prevent them from operating commercial wheelchair controls. Our concept, Self-referenced Personal Orthotic Omni-purpose Control Interface (SPOOCI), is distinguished by referencing the control sensor not to the wheelchair frame but instead to the adjacent proximal lower-extremity segment via a custom-formed orthosis. Using a descriptive case-series design, we compared the pre-post functional power wheelchair driving skill data of 4 participants, measured by the Power Mobility Program, using descriptive analyses. The intervention consisted of standard-care power wheelchair training during 12 outpatient occupational or physical therapy sessions. All 4 participants who completed the 12-wk intervention improved their functional power wheelchair driving skills using SPOOCI, but only 3 were deemed safe to continue with power wheelchair driving.
authors.affiliation: Sandra L. Winkler, PhD, OTR/L, is Research Health Science Specialist, James A. Haley Veterans' Hospital, Center of Innovation in Disabilities and Rehabilitation Research, Tampa, FL; sandra.winkler@va.gov.
authors.forename: Sandra L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Winkler
authors.affiliation: Sergio Romero, PhD, is Research Assistant Professor, Department of Occupational Therapy, University of Florida, Gainesville.
authors.forename: Sergio
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Romero
authors.affiliation: Emily Prather, OTR, is Occupational Therapist, University of Colorado Health at Memorial Hospital, Colorado Springs.
authors.forename: Emily
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Prather
authors.affiliation: Marisa Ramroop, OTR, is Graduate, Department of Occupational Therapy, Nova Southeastern University, Fort Lauderdale, FL.
authors.forename: Marisa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ramroop
authors.affiliation: Emmy Slaibe, OTR, is Occupational Therapist, St. Catherine's West Rehabilitation Hospital, Miami, FL.
authors.forename: Emmy
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Slaibe
authors.affiliation: Matthew Christensen, MS, is CAD Engineer, ConforMIS, Inc., Boston, MA.
authors.forename: Matthew
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Christensen
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D004867:Equipment Design; D005260:Female; D006429:Hemiplegia / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009989:Orthotic Devices; D011782:Quadriplegia / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D014910:Wheelchairs