Facilitating manual wheelchair skills following lower limb amputation using a group process: A nested mixed methods pilot study.
Kimberly Charlton, Carolyn Murray, Rose Boucaut and 1 others
PMID 34318937WHAT IT FOUND
Eleven new wheelchair users with lower limb amputations completed a structured skills programme.
Self-reported capacity, confidence, and performance all increased, and most improved on their personal goals. However, only a third of sessions were actually group-based, and participants were also receiving usual rehabilitation, so the specific effect of the programme cannot be isolated.
Key findings
01Participants reported significant increases in self-rated wheelchair capacity, confidence, and performance after the training.
02Most participants improved on their personal mobility goals, but skill gains did not always translate to goal achievement.
03The group format was often replaced by individual sessions due to low admissions and scheduling conflicts.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for OTs
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What it does not show
The sample size was very small (n=11), and comparative analysis was not possible. Participants were receiving usual rehabilitation and experiencing natural recovery, so improvements cannot be attributed solely to the WSTP. The study was not blinded, and the primary researcher was involved in delivery and data collection, introducing potential bias. Only 31% of sessions were delivered in the intended group format, limiting conclusions about group-based learning. There was no follow-up after discharge to assess skill retention in the home environment.
Declared interests
The authors declare no conflicts of interest. The study was approved by local ethics committees. Funding sources are not explicitly detailed in the provided text beyond general institutional support.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume the group format was the active ingredient or that the WSTP alone caused the improvements. Most sessions were actually one-to-one, and participants were concurrently receiving standard rehabilitation and recovering naturally from amputation.