Measuring wheelchair intervention outcomes: development of the wheelchair outcome measure.

PURPOSE: Provision of a wheelchair has immediate intuitive benefits; however, it can be difficult to evaluate which wheelchair and seating components best meet an individual's needs. As well, funding agencies now prefer evidence of outcomes; and therefore measurement upon prescription of a wheelchair or its components is essential to demonstrate the efficacy of intervention. As no existing tool can provide individualized goal-oriented measure of outcome after wheelchair prescription, a research project was undertaken to create the Wheelchair Outcome Measure (WhOM).

METHOD: A mixed methods research design was employed to develop the instrument, which used in-depth interviews of prescribers, individuals who use wheelchairs and their associates, supplemented by additional questions in which participant preferences in key areas of the measure were quantified.

RESULTS: The WhOM is a client-specific wheelchair intervention measurement tool that is based on the World Health Organization's International Classification of Function, Disability, and Health. It identifies desired outcomes at a participation level and also acknowledges concerns about body structure and function.

CONCLUSION: The new outcome instrument will allow clients to identify and evaluate the outcomes they wish to achieve with their wheelchairs and seating and provide clinicians a way to quantify outcomes of their interventions in a way that is meaningful to the client and potential funding sources.