Wheelchair breakdowns becoming more common, reports AJPM&R

Public release date: 2-May-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Connie Hughes Connie.Hughes@wolterskluwer.com 646-674-6348 Wolters Kluwer Health

Philadelphia, Pa. (May 2, 2012) Wheelchair users with spinal cord injury (SCI) report very high rates of wheelchair breakdownsand the problem is getting worse, suggests a study in American Journal of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation (AJPM&R), the official journal of the Association of Academic Physiatrists, AJPM&R is published by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, a part of Wolters Kluwer Health.

The study found that over 50 percent of wheelchair users experienced a breakdown in a six-month period, up from a previous report. "It is possible that this increase in the number of repairs is the result of a decrease in wheelchair quality resulting from changes in reimbursement policies and a lack of enforcement of standards testing," write the researchers, led by Dr Michael Boninger of University of Pittsburgh's Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. They also found a significant increase in wheelchair breakdowns causing health and safety consequences.

For People with SCI, Wheelchair Breakdowns Becoming More Frequent

Dr Boninger and colleagues analyzed data from an ongoing survey study of more than 700 individuals with SCI who used wheelchairs at least 40 hours per week. The participants provided routine data on wheelchair breakdowns requiring repairs, along with any consequences of breakdownsfor example, being stranded, missing a medical appointment, or being injured.

The data suggested that the rate of wheelchair breakdowns has increased in recent years. From 2006 to 2011, about 53 percent of wheelchair users reported one or more breakdowns requiring repair per six-month perioda significant increase over the 45 percent rate from 2004 to 2006. The average number of repairs per person also increased: 1.42 in 2006-11, compared to 1.03 in 2004-06.

The rate of adverse consequences of breakdowns increased as well: 30.5 percent in 2006-11, compared to 22 percent in 2004-06. The total number of consequences per participant in 2006-11 was more than twice as high as in 2004-06.

Power wheelchairs had more problems than manual wheelchairsnearly two-thirds of all consequences were reported by power wheelchair users. These rates were especially high in wheelchairs equipped with power seat functions.

Differences by Race/Ethnicity and Funding Source

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Wheelchair breakdowns becoming more common, reports AJPM&R