Parents' and Therapists' Satisfaction with Four Early Childhood Power Mobility Devices.
Debra A Field, Roslyn W Livingstone
PMID 35656731WHAT IT FOUND
Parents and therapists were generally satisfied with four power mobility devices after a single trial, but satisfaction varied by device.
After a 6-month loan, parent satisfaction decreased slightly but remained high, while therapist satisfaction stayed stable.
Key findings
01Median satisfaction scores for the eight device features ranged from 31.0 to 34.5 for parents and 29.0 to 33.5 for therapists across the four devices, indicating statistically significant differences between devices.
02Parents rated safety and durability most highly across devices, while therapists also rated aesthetics highly for all devices except the Tiger Cub.
03During the 6-month loan, parents' satisfaction with device features decreased significantly (median 36 to 33), but remained 'quite satisfied', whereas therapists' scores did not change.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for OTs
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What it does not show
The study used convenience sampling, so the participants may not represent the wider population of children with mobility limitations. The number of children who tried each device varied, which affects the comparability of satisfaction scores. Therapists with multiple children in the study may have introduced response bias. Practice time with the devices was not controlled and varied between sessions, which could influence satisfaction ratings. Satisfaction is a subjective measure, and items like 'ease of use' could be interpreted differently by parents and therapists.
Declared interests
The authors declare no conflicts of interest. The study was funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) and other grants, but the funders had no role in study design, data collection, analysis, or interpretation.
The easy way to misread this
Do not interpret the decrease in parent satisfaction during the loan phase as a failure of the device. The scores remained high, and the change likely reflects a more realistic view of daily use rather than dissatisfaction with the device's core function.