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. 2017 Sep 8:6:340.
doi: 10.4102/ajod.v6i0.340. eCollection 2017.

Wheelchair service provision education in academia

Karen H Fung  1   2 , Paula W Rushton  1   2 , Rachel Gartz  3 , Mary Goldberg  3   4 , Maria L Toro  5 , Nicky Seymour  6 , Jonathan Pearlman  3   4
Affiliations

Wheelchair service provision education in academia

Karen H Fung et al. Afr J Disabil. .

Abstract

Background: An estimated 70 million people with disabilities need wheelchairs. To address this global crisis, the World Health Organization (WHO) proposed an eight-step wheelchair service provision model to ensure service quality regardless of resource setting. The International Society of Wheelchair Professionals (ISWP) aims to facilitate the integration of the WHO eight-step model into professional rehabilitation programmes.

Objective: To develop an enhanced understanding of the current wheelchair service provision education provided in professional rehabilitation programmes worldwide.

Methods: In a cross-sectional design, an online survey was distributed to ISWP contacts of educational institutions. Quantitative responses were analysed through summary statistics and qualitative answers were analysed by content analyses. When relevant, educational institutions were stratified into resource settings.

Results: Seventy-two representatives of educational institutions in 21 countries completed the survey. Wheelchair content was taught in 79% of represented institutions, of which 75% of respondents reported using original course material, 10% of respondents used WHO Wheelchair Service Training Packages and 15% of respondents used other available resources. The majority of educational institutions teaching with their own wheelchair-related course material taught ≤ 20 hours. Fourteen of the 15 respondents without wheelchair education, expressed an interest in integrating wheelchair education into their academic curricula.

Conclusion: The majority of the educational institutions teach wheelchair education; however, there is great variability in what and how it is taught and evaluated. The results demonstrate the need for more in-depth investigation regarding the integration process of wheelchair education in educational institutions, with the ultimate goal of improving wheelchair service provision worldwide.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no financial or personal relationships that may have inappropriately influenced them in writing this article.

Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
Flow chart of the survey pathway and the sample sizes.
FIGURE 2
FIGURE 2
Countries of educational institutions respondents (n = 72).
FIGURE 3
FIGURE 3
Awareness of World Health Organization Wheelchair Service Training Packages in educational institutions based on level of resources.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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