Evidence map›Paper›PMID 34174224›Full record

Trial reportArchives of physical medicine and rehabilitation2022

Effectiveness of Group Wheelchair Maintenance Training for People with Spinal Cord Injury: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Lynn A Worobey, Gina McKernan, Maria Toro, Jonathan Pearlman, Rachel E Cowan, Allen W Heinemann, Trevor A Dyson-Hudson, Jessica Presperin Pedersen, Matthew Mesoros, Michael L Boninger

Abstract readRandomized Controlled Trial
In one paragraph

Trial report in Archives of physical medicine and rehabilitation, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

3 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Women Veterans and Mobility Aids.Archives of rehabilitation research and clinical translation · 2025
    Article
  2. Article
  3. Wheelchair Servicing for Older Adults: Cross-Sectional Study.JMIR rehabilitation and assistive technologies · 2025
    Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

10 authors.

Lynn A WorobeyDepartment of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA; Department of Bioengineering, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA; Department of Physical Therapy, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA; Human Engineering Research Laboratories, Veterans Affairs Pittsburgh Healthcare System, Pittsburgh, PA. Electronic address: law93@pitt.edu.
Gina McKernanDepartment of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA; Human Engineering Research Laboratories, Veterans Affairs Pittsburgh Healthcare System, Pittsburgh, PA.
Maria ToroHuman Engineering Research Laboratories, Veterans Affairs Pittsburgh Healthcare System, Pittsburgh, PA.
Jonathan PearlmanRehabilitation Science and Technology, Veterans Affairs Pittsburgh Healthcare System, Pittsburgh, PA.
Rachel E CowanDepartment of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, University of Alabama, Birmingham, AL.
Allen W HeinemannFeinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL; Shirley Ryan Ability Lab, Chicago, IL.
Trevor A Dyson-HudsonKessler Foundation, West Orange, NJ; Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, Newark, NJ.
Jessica Presperin PedersenShirley Ryan Ability Lab, Chicago, IL.
Matthew MesorosDepartment of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA; Human Engineering Research Laboratories, Veterans Affairs Pittsburgh Healthcare System, Pittsburgh, PA.
Michael L BoningerDepartment of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA; Department of Bioengineering, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA; Human Engineering Research Laboratories, Veterans Affairs Pittsburgh Healthcare System, Pittsburgh, PA.

Funding

Health Promotion and Disease Prevention Research CenterU48DP000025 · DP · UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH AT PITTSBURGH · PI NEWMAN, ANNE B. · 2005 to 2008
$2.3M
Characterizing Activity Patterns in Functional Mobility After Spinal Cord InjuryK23HD096134 · NICHD · UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH AT PITTSBURGH · PI WOROBEY, LYNN A · 2019 to 2023
$625k
ACL HHS 90DP0025NCCDPHP CDC HHS U48 DP000025NICHD NIH HHS K23 HD096134
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectiveTo assess the effectiveness of group wheelchair maintenance training and investigate participant characteristics associated with responsiveness to training.

designRandomized controlled trial with an immediate group and a waitlist control group (WLCG) who received the intervention after a 6-month delay.

settingFour Spinal Cord Injury Model Systems Centers.

participantsManual (MWC; n=80) and power wheelchair (PWC; n=67) users with spinal cord injury (N=147).

interventionsTwo 90-minute structured wheelchair maintenance training program classes with 12-20 people per class and separate classes for MWC and PWC users. Each class included in-person hands-on demonstrations and practice of wheelchair maintenance.

main outcome measuresSeparate analysis was completed for MWC and PWC users using the Wheelchair Maintenance Training Questionnaire (WMT-Q) capacity (ability to complete), performance (frequency of completion) and knowledge at baseline, 1 month, 6 months, 6 months pretraining (WLCG only), and 1 year (immediate only).

resultsAfter the intervention, participants in both the immediate and WLCG improved in maintenance capacity (MWC and PWC, P<.001) and performance (MWC and PWC, P<.001) with training. Only PWC users improved knowledge of wheelchair maintenance (P<.001). For both WLCGs (MWC and PWC), there was no difference between the 6-month pretraining time point and baseline. MWC users who responded to training had lower WMT-Q scores for all domains, whereas this was only the case for knowledge for PWC users.

conclusionsGroup wheelchair skills training is effective at improving capacity to complete maintenance and performance of maintenance activities for MWC and PWC users, even in a cohort of experienced wheelchair users. For MWC users, improvements were tied to lower WMT-Q scores at baseline, whereas PWC users improved in capacity and performance independent of baseline score. Delivering this training in a structured group format has a lower cost, which might improve adoption into clinical practice.

Indexed as

Spinal Cord InjuriesWheelchairsHumansSurveys and QuestionnairesUpper ExtremityMaintenanceRehabilitationSpinal cord injuriesTeachingWheelchairs

Identifiers

PMID34174224
PMCPMC8702566

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceTDM
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.