Telerehabilitation for New Wheelchair Evaluations: A Retrospective Study of Patient Characteristics

Authors

  • Chelsea McClammer Department of Occupational Therapy, Whitworth University, Spokane, Washington, USA
  • Elizabeth A. Choma Department of Physical Therapy, Whitworth University, Spokane, Washington, USA
  • Richard M. Schein Senior Research Health Scientist, Department of Rehabilitation Science and Technology, School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
  • Mark R. Schmeler Associate Professor / Vice-Chair for Clinical Services & Policy, Department of Rehabilitation Science and Technology, School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
  • Gede Pramana Department of Rehabilitation Science and Technology, School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
  • Jake Gliniak
  • Corey Morrow Assistant Professor, Department of Occupational Therapy, College of Health Professions, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, USA

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5195/ijt.2024.6630

Keywords:

Health services research, Telerehabilitation, Wheelchair evaluations

Abstract

The purpose of this paper was to describe the clinical and personal factors of persons with disabilities (PwD) seeking a new wheelchair evaluation via telerehabilitation compared to in-person appointments. This retrospective cohort analysis used the Functional Mobility Assessment and Uniform Dataset, which is a nationwide registry with ongoing enrollment at 31 clinical sites of PwD seeking a new wheelchair evaluation. PwD were stratified into either a Telerehabilitation Group or In-Person Group. There were 1,669 PwD in the Telerehabilitation Group and 10,284 in the In-Person Group. The Telerehabilitation Group had a higher mean age and higher percentage of Progressively Acquired Disabilities than the In-Person Group. This project lays the groundwork for future comparative effectiveness studies, which may influence telerehabilitation reimbursement policies for wheelchair services.

  

Author Biography

Jake Gliniak

 

 

References

Arledge, S., Armstrong, W., Babinec, M., Dicianno, B., DiGiovine, C., Dyson-Hudson, T.A., Pederson, J., Piriano, J., Plummer, T., Rosen, L.R., Schmeler, M.R., Shea, M., & Stogner, J. (2011). RESNA Wheelchair Service Provision Guide. https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/RESNA-Wheelchair-Service-Provision-Guide.-Arledge-Armstrong/32b1750fb800da4f62b14dc30dd9e7a6441bebf0

Bell, M., Schein, R. M., Straatmann, J., Dicianno, B. E., & Schmeler, M. R. (2020). Functional Mobility Outcomes in Telehealth and In-Person Assessments for Wheeled Mobility Devices. International Journal of Telerehabilitation, 12(2), 27–34. https://doi.org/10.5195/ijt.2020.6335

Bertrand, K., Raymond, M.-H., Miller, W. C., Martin Ginis, K. A., & Demers, L. (2017). Walking aids for enabling activity and participation. American Journal of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, 96(12), 894–903. https://doi.org/10.1097/phm.0000000000000836

Betz, M., DiGiovine, C. P., Galbreath, P., Stojkov, A., Berner, T., Hibbs, R., & Schein, R. M. (2022a). Service delivery for complex rehabilitation technology: A scoping review. Disability and Rehabilitation: Assistive Technology, 17(8), 853–871. https://doi.org/10.1080/17483107.2022.2111609

Brault, M. (2012). Americans with disabilities: 2010 (Report No. P70-131). Washington, DC: US Census Bureau.

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Coronavirus waivers & flexibilities. Retrieved April 25, 2024 from https://www.cms.gov/coronavirus-waivers

Chen, J., Sun, D., Zhang, S., Shi, Y., Qiao, F., Zhou, Y., Liu, J., & Ren, C. (2020). Effects of home-based telerehabilitation in patients with stroke: A randomized controlled trial. Neurology, 95(17), e2318-e2330. https://doi.org/10.1212/wnl.0000000000010821

Cochran, A. L., McDonald, N. C., Prunkl, L., Vinella-Brusher, E., Wang, J., Oluyede, L., & Wolfe, M. (2022). Transportation barriers to care among frequent health care users during the COVID pandemic. BMC Public Health, 22(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-022-14149-x

Cooper R., Fitzgerald S., Boninger M., Cooper R. A., Shapcott N., Cohen L., & Schmeler M.R. (2002). Using telerehabilitation to aid in selecting a wheelchair. Rehabilitation Engineering & Assistive Technology Society of North America Annual Conference Proceedings, Minneapolis, Minnesota, 327–329

Hatzakis, M., Jr, Haselkorn, J., Williams, R., Turner, A., & Nichol, P. (2003). Telemedicine and the delivery of health services to veterans with multiple sclerosis. Journal of Rehabilitation Research and Development, 40(3), 265–282.

Hoenig, H., Landerman, L. R., Shipp, K. M., Pieper, C., Pieper, C., Richardson, M., Pahel, N., & George, L. (2005). A clinical trial of a rehabilitation expert clinician versus usual care for providing manual wheelchairs. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 53(10), 1712–1720. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1532-5415.2005.53502.x

Howard, J., Fisher, Z., Kemp, A. H., Lindsay, S., Tasker, L. H., & Tree, J. J. (2022). Exploring the barriers to using assistive technology for individuals with chronic conditions: A meta-synthesis review. Disability and Rehabilitation: Assistive Technology, 17(4), 390–408. https://doi.org/10.1080/17483107.2020.1788181

Hyder, M. A., & Razzak, J. (2020). Telemedicine in the United States: An introduction for students and residents. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 22(11), e20839. https://doi.org/10.2196/20839

Iodice, F., Romoli, M., Giometto, B., Clerico, M., Tedeschi, G., Bonavita, S., Leocani, L., Lavorgna, L., & Digital Technologies, Web and Social Media Study Group of the Italian Society of Neurology (2021). Stroke and digital technology: A wake-up call from COVID-19 pandemic. Neurological Sciences, 42(3), 805–809. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10072-020-04993-3

Kumar, A., Schmeler, M. R., Karmarkar, A. M., Collins, D. M., Cooper, R., Cooper, R. A., Shin, H., & Holm, M. B. (2013). Test-retest reliability of the functional mobility assessment (FMA): A pilot study. Disability and Rehabilitation: Assistive Technology, 8(3), 213–219. https://doi.org/10.3109/17483107.2012.688240

Lemaire, E. D., Boudrias, Y., & Greene, G. (2001). Low-bandwidth, Internet-based videoconferencing for physical rehabilitation consultations. Journal of Telemedicine and Telecare, 7(2), 82–89. https://doi.org/10.1258/1357633011936200

Mills, T. L., Holm, M. B., & Schmeler, M. (2007). Test-retest reliability and cross validation of the functioning everyday with a wheelchair instrument. Assistive Technology, 19(2), 61–77. https://doi.org/10.1080/10400435.2007.10131866

Nuara, A., Fabbri-Destro, M., Scalona, E., Lenzi, S. E., Rizzolatti, G., & Avanzini, P. (2022). Telerehabilitation in response to constrained physical distance: An opportunity to rethink neurorehabilitative routines. Journal of Neurology, 269(2), 627–638. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00415-021-10397-w

O'Day, B., Dautel, P., & Scheer, J. (2002). Barriers to healthcare for people with mobility impairments. Managed Care Quarterly, 10(3), 41–51.

Ott, K. K., Schein, R. M., Saptono, A., Dicianno, B. E., & Schmeler, M. R. (2020). Veteran and provider satisfaction with a home-based telerehabilitation assessment for wheelchair seating and mobility. International Journal of Telerehabilitation, 12(2), 3–12. https://doi.org/10.5195/ijt.2020.6341

Ott, K. K., Schein, R. M., Straatmann, J., Schmeler, M. R., & Dicianno, B. E. (2022). Development of a home-based telerehabilitation service delivery protocol for wheelchair seating and mobility within the Veterans Health Administration. Military Medicine, 187(5-6), e718–e725. https://doi.org/10.1093/milmed/usab091

Sabharwal, S., Mezaros, M., & Duafenbach, L. (2001). Telerehabilitation across the continuum of care for individuals with spinal cord injury. Paper presented at the Proceedings of the State of the Science Conference on Telerehabilitation.

Salminen, A. L., Brandt, A., Samuelsson, K., Töytäri, O., & Malmivaara, A. (2009). Mobility devices to promote activity and participation: A systematic review. Journal of Rehabilitation Medicine, 41(9), 697–706. https://doi.org/10.2340/16501977-0427

SAS Institute, Inc. https://www.sas.com/en_us/home.html

Schein, R. M., Schmeler, M. R., Holm, M. B., Saptono, A., & Brienza, D. M. (2010). Telerehabilitation wheeled mobility and seating assessments compared with in person. Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, 91(6), 874–878. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apmr.2010.01.017

Scherer M. J. (2017). Technology adoption, acceptance, satisfaction and benefit: integrating various assistive technology outcomes. Disability and Rehabilitation: Assistive Technology, 12(1), 1–2. https://doi.org/10.1080/17483107.2016.1253939

Schmeler, M. R., Schein, R. M., Saptono, A., & Schiappa, V. J. (2019). Development and implementation of a wheelchair outcomes registry. Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, 100(9), 1779–1781. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apmr.2019.03.007

United States Department of Health and Human Services. Regulatory relief to support economic recovery; Request for Information (RFI). Federal Register Notice: 85 FR 75720. Document Number 2020–25812:2020.

von Humboldt, S., Low, G., & Leal, I. (2022). Health service accessibility, mental health, and changes in behavior during the COVID-19 pandemic: A qualitative study of older adults. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(7), 4277. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19074277

Downloads

Published

2024-06-28

How to Cite

McClammer , C., Choma, E. A., Schein, R. M., Schmeler, M. R., Pramana, G., Gliniak, J., & Morrow, C. (2024). Telerehabilitation for New Wheelchair Evaluations: A Retrospective Study of Patient Characteristics. International Journal of Telerehabilitation, 16(1). https://doi.org/10.5195/ijt.2024.6630

Issue

Vol. 16 No. 1 (2024)

Section

Remote Wheelchair Assessment

License

Copyright (c) 2024 Chelsea McClammer OTDS,BS, Elizabeth A. Choma, PT, DPT, Richard M. Schein, PhD, MPH, Mark R. Schmeler, PhD, OTR/L, ATP, Gede Pramana, PhD, Jake Gliniak, Corey Morrow, PhD, MOT, OTR/L

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Most read articles by the same author(s)