title: Effectiveness of Group Wheelchair Skills Training for People With Spinal Cord Injury: A Randomized Controlled Trial.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess the effectiveness of group wheelchair skills training to elicit improvements in wheelchair skills.
  
  
  METHODS
  Randomized double-blinded controlled trial.
  
  
  METHODS
  Four Spinal Cord Injury Model Systems Centers.
  
  
  METHODS
  Manual wheelchair users with spinal cord injury (N=114).
  
  
  METHODS
  Six 90-minute group Wheelchair Skills Training Program (WSTP) classes or two 1-hour active control sessions with 6 to 10 people per group.
  
  
  METHODS
  Baseline (t1) and 1-month follow-up (t2) Wheelchair Skills Test Questionnaire (WST-Q) (Version 4.2) for capacity and performance and Goal Attainment Scale (GAS) score.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Follow-up was completed by 79 participants (WSTP: n=36, active control: n=43). No differences were found between missing and complete cases. Many users were highly skilled at baseline with a WST-Q capacity interquartile range of 77% to 97%. There were no differences between groups at baseline in WST-Q measures or demographics. Compared with the active control group, the WSTP group improved in WST-Q capacity advanced score (P=.02) but not in WST-Q capacity or WST-Q performance total scores (P=.068 and P=.873, respectively). The average GAS score (0% at t1) for the WSTP group at t2 was 65.6%±34.8%. Higher GAS scores and WST-Q capacity scores were found for those who attended more classes and had lower baseline skills.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Group training can improve advanced wheelchair skills capacity and facilitate achievement of individually set goals. Lower skill levels at baseline and increased attendance were correlated with greater improvement.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA. Electronic address: law93@pitt.edu.
authors.forename: Lynn A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Worobey
authors.affiliation: Division of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada.
authors.forename: R Lee
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: Kirby
authors.affiliation: Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL; Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago, Chicago, IL.
authors.forename: Allen W
authors.initials: AW
authors.lastname: Heinemann
authors.affiliation: Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA.
authors.forename: Emily A
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Krobot
authors.affiliation: Kessler Foundation, West Orange, NJ; Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, Newark, NJ.
authors.forename: Trevor A
authors.initials: TA
authors.lastname: Dyson-Hudson
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurological Surgery, University of Miami, Miami, FL.
authors.forename: Rachel E
authors.initials: RE
authors.lastname: Cowan
authors.affiliation: Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago, Chicago, IL.
authors.forename: Jessica Presperin
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Pedersen
authors.affiliation: Kessler Institute for Rehabilitation, West Orange, NJ.
authors.forename: Mary
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Shea
authors.affiliation: Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA.
authors.forename: Michael L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Boninger
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D006233:Persons with Disabilities / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D005260:Female; D006126:Group Processes; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009048:Motor Skills; D010353:Patient Education as Topic / Q000379:methods*; D026741:Physical Therapy Modalities; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013119:Spinal Cord Injuries / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D014910:Wheelchairs
keywords: Motor skills; Rehabilitation; Spinal cord injuries; Wheelchairs