Development of a Consumer-Driven Wheelchair Seating Discomfort Assessment Tool (WcS-DAT)
By Crane, Barbara A.; Holm, Margo B.; Hobson, Douglas; Cooper, Rory A.; Reed, Matthew P.; Stadelmeier, Steve; International Journal of Rehabilitation Research, Vol. 27, No. 1, pp. 85-90Publication Date: 2004
Study conducted to examine the concept of seating discomfort among people who used wheelchairs and who had intact sensation, and to construct a tool that would quantify seating discomfort. Ten people participated in the study, which utilized ethnographic interview techniques. The participants used 16 discomfort and 13 comfort descriptors; of these, 8 discomfort and 5 comfort descriptors were selected for inclusion in the Wheelchair Seating Discomfort Assessment Tool (WcS-DAT). The eight discomfort descriptors selected were: (1) aches and pains, (2) need to move, (3) pressure points, (4) feeling poorly positioned, (5) unable to concentrate, (6) instability, (7) not comfortable, and (8) feeling too hot, cold or damp. The five comfort descriptors selected were: (1) absence of discomfort, (2) feeling good, (3) having no pain, (4) able to concentrate, and (5) feeling stable. The WcS-DAT also includes general information, such as the amount of time spent sitting and whether the individual was transferred into the chair properly. The authors contend that the WcS-DAT is a comprehensive tool for quantification of wheelchair seat discomfort for this population.
Published by: Lippincott, Williams, & Wilkins (Website:http://www.lww.com)
European Federation for Research in Rehabilitation (Web Site: http://www.uni-heidelberg.de/index_e.html )
This publication is included in the library of the National Rehabilitation Information Center (NARIC), accession number J50056
