Views of wheelchair users and caregivers regarding a passive safety monitoring system for electric powered wheelchair operators with cognitive impairment.

The study used a convenience sample of 17 participants from a single congregate facility, so the views may be specific to that setting. No mental status exam was used, and users were chosen not to be significantly cognitively impaired, so the people who would be monitored were not asked. Family caregivers were not included. Age, cognitive ability, functional or mobility status, and ethnicity were not controlled or reported in enough detail. The questionnaire was created by the authors and its reliability and validity were not assessed. Some wheelchair users had difficulty understanding the concept, even with a toy model. The authors who ran the focus groups also designed the concept and hold a related patent. Their role and patent may have biased participants or analysis.

Publication types list research support from N.I.H., Extramural. The authors declared that Professors Kearns and Fozard are co-inventors of a US patent described in this research.

Do not read this as evidence that a passive safety monitoring system reduces accidents or improves wheelchair driving. It reports opinions about a concept from 9 wheelchair users and 8 caregivers at a single facility, and the users were chosen not to be significantly cognitively impaired.