| Study Title: |
Evaluation of a peer-led eHealth wheelchair skills training program: Training to Enhance Adaptation and Management for Wheelchair users (TEAM Wheels). |
| Rationale: |
Most manual wheelchair users receive little training on how to use their wheelchair effectively, which results in reduced mobility, decreased social participation, increased risk of injury and reduced quality of life. TEAM Wheels was developed to provide this training in an accessible and economic way (eHealth), in the time and place where it is most need (living in the community), and leveraging the impact of a peer to promote training and relate to a similar lived experience. |
| Study Description: |
Our purpose is to evaluate the effect of a 1-month, peer-led eHealth training program (TEAM Wheels) on satisfaction with activity participation and related rehabilitation outcomes among individuals transitioning to MWC use, compared with current wheelchair training practice. Training to Enhance Adaptation and Management for Wheelchair users (TEAM Wheels) is a 4-week, community-based, tailored eHealth program integrating peer-led and independent home training components to optimize learning while limiting the time demands of health care professionals and mitigating the risk of COVID-19 for participants, peer-trainers, and research staff. The eHealth program is delivered using a 10” computer tablet with a custom home-training application and a secure teleconferencing application. The tablet mounts conveniently on the wheelchair user’s lap for “in-chair” training, enabling MWC users to learn and practice mobility skills in authentic contexts of home and community. The interactive home-training application includes a structured curriculum with over 200 video clips featuring education, peer demonstration, and training activities. eHealth offers the convenience of autonomy over training schedules and reduced demand for outpatient visits that provides a supportive physical distancing, non-contact approach. The peer-led teleconferencing component involves experienced MWC users with specialized training and lived experience who can leverage their own experience and ability to relate as influential peers. The peer trainer conducts 3 real-time, web-based video conferencing sessions using the Microsoft (MS) Teams cloud platform via the same computer tablet. Individualized goals are negotiated, introducing wheelchair skills and management strategies, and providing an orientation to the eHealth home program.
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| Recruitment Dates: |
2021-09-01 to 2022-08-31 |
| Who can participate: |
Those who are 18 years of age or older, use a manual wheelchair on a regular basis, propel using both hands, and live in BC or Alberta |
| Location of Trial: |
University of British Columbia |
| Trial Investigator: |
Dr Ed Giesbrecht |
| Contact Information: |
bill.miller@ubc.ca
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| Trial Funding: |
CIHR |
