The Participation and Activity Measurement System: An Example Application Among People Who Use Wheeled Mobility Devices
By Harris, Frances; Sprigle, Stephen; Sonenblum, Sharon Eve; Maurer, Christine L.; Disability and Rehabilitation: Assistive Technology, Vol. 5, No. 1, pp. 48-57Publication Date: January 2010
Article presents the Participation and Activity Measurement System (PAMS) designed to examine activity and participation among people who use wheeled mobility devices. PAMS combines objectively measured wheelchair usage with information gathered from a semi-structured prompted recall interview (PRI). By applying technologies such as wheel revolution counters, seat occupancy sensors, and a global positioning system (GPS), PAMS captures diverse metrics of wheelchair use including destination, wheeled distance, duration of occupancy, and the use of specialized features such as tilt. These metrics also provide the basis for a PRI designed to elicit contextual data about wheelchair use within a person’s home and community. To illustrate the use of PAMS, a pre-post study of a wheelchair intervention using PAMS is presented, involving 5 upright power wheelchair users who had been prescribed a powered tilt in space (TIS) wheelchair. As demonstrated by the study, the combination of objective and subjective data afforded by the application of PAMS reflects a complex relationship between wheelchair use and the role of mobility as people go about their daily home and community activities. The authors contend that PAMS can be adapted to a variety of research questions and may be used as an alternative or supplement to self-report assessments of activity and participation.
Published by: Taylor & Francis, Limited (Website:http://taylorandfrancis.org)
International Society of Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine (Web Site: http://www.isprm.org )
