Citation

Sund T, Iwarsson S, Anttila H, Brandt A. PM R 2015; 7(8): 859-870.

Affiliation

Department of Disability and Technology, The National Board of Social Services, Odense, Denmark; Institute of Public Health, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2015, American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Publisher Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.pmrj.2015.02.001

PMID

25677008

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effectiveness of powered mobility device (i.e. powered wheelchair and scooter) interventions over a one year period in the Nordic context.

DESIGN: Prospective design. SETTING: The study involved community-living participants from Denmark, Finland and Norway. PARTICIPANTS: In all, 180 participants with different self-reported impairments participated in the study. The mean age was 68.7 (95%CI=39.9-97.5) years and 47.8% of the participants were men.

METHODS: The participants were interviewed twice about mobility and mobility-related participation, face-to-face in their homes. The first interview took place shortly before the participants had received their powered mobility device and the second about one year later (mean 386.9 days SD=52.78). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Changes in frequency, ease/difficulty, and number of mobility-related participation aspects in daily life were investigated in the total sample and in sub-groups by means of the NOMO 1.0 instrument, applying structured interview format.

RESULTS: In the total sample the frequency of shopping groceries (p<.001, effect size=0.29, 95%CI=0.08-0.50), going for a walk/ride (p<.001, effect size=0.62, 95%CI=0.41-83) increased, while the number of participation aspects performed (p<0.001) increased only slightly. Going to a restaurant/café/pub, shopping groceries, other shopping, posting letters, going to the bank, the chemist's, going for a walk/ride, and visiting family/friends became easier (p<.001to p=.001); effect sizes varied between 0.50 (95%CI=0.29-0.71) and 0.85 (95%CI=0.63-1.07). Men, scooter users, and users with poor self-reported health seem to benefit the most from the intervention.

CONCLUSIONS: Powered mobility device interventions mainly contribute to mobility-related participation by making participation easier for people with mobility restrictions and by increasing the frequency of participation aspects such as shopping groceries and going for a walk/ride. The effects varied regarding the sub-groups. The present study further strengthens the current evidence that powered mobility devices increase mobility-related participation in daily life among certain subgroups of adults with mobility restrictions.

Language: en