The impact of a low cost wheelchair on the quality of life of the disabled in the developing world

Abstract

SummaryBackgroundPeople with disabilities in the developing world do not have equal and adequate access to education, employment, or medical care. Their physical or mental condition, compounded by a lack of financial and technological resources, imposes a burden on both the family and the State. A wheelchair is a form of assistive technology which eases that burden for many. This study examines the impact of a simple, donated chair on the health, quality of life, and function of a subject population.Material/MethodsSurveys were administered to 519 disabled recipients of a semi-rigid depot style wheelchair in 3 different countries at the time they received their chair and again after 12 months of use. Surveys evaluated physical and emotional health, functional independence, and lifestyle.ResultsOn initial reports, 46.6% of subjects said they never left home, 52.3% were hospitalized one or more days/month, 70.3% reported daily pain, and 48.7% reported a negative mood state. Following 12 months of using the wheelchair, both the reported overall health rating and mood state increased by 20%; pain was significantly diminished. Although some areas in the ICF function measure improved more than others, the overall reported level of independence rose by 11%.ConclusionsA representative sample of the disabled in 3 countries of the world is socially isolated, in poor health, and with limited function. Receipt of a simple, depot style wheelchair significantly improved their quality of life, health indicators, and the ICF function measure following 12 months of use.

Locally manufactured wheelchairs in Tanzania – are users satisfied?

“…Appreciating the commitment of the government to the rights of people with disabilities in provision of services 2 , the primary objective of this preliminary study was todetermine the extent of satisfaction among users of locally manufactured wheelchairs, as part of the process of monitoring social accountability Overall, the wheelchair users' satisfaction was relatively high. As with other developing countries [9][10][11][12] , participants were satisfied with wheelchair related aspects such as effectiveness of use, safety, and participation in activities, though a small proportion expressed satisfaction with service related aspects. This suggests that the locally manufactured wheelchairs were perceived to be appropriate in meeting the needs of the users.…”

“…With the commitment of the government to the rights of people with disabilities in provision of services 2 , the concerns of unsatisfied users should be addressed. Follow up studies should focus on the quality of life of the users 12 , and also identify if a correlation exists between the types of disabilities and the level of satisfaction of the wheelchair users.…”

“…Like other developing countries with limited resources, there is little information about the level of satisfaction among users of various assistive devices [9][10][11][12] . Therefore this preliminary study set out to determine the extent to which locally manufactured wheelchairs met the activity and participation needs of users, and the users' satisfaction with the features and services associated with the provision, repair and maintenance of the wheelchairs.…”

Pressure ulcers in people with spinal cord injury in developing nations

“…28 As these authors illustrate, mobility may be limited by more than neurologic deficits. Shore and Juillerat 44 have shown that by increasing mobility through donated wheelchairs, neurologically impaired patients in Vietnam, Chile and India had a significant decrease in PUs. Their proposed explanation is that wheelchair propulsion maneuvers induce pressure relief.…”

“…Their study also demonstrated that increased community mobility was associated with increased access to care, decreased pain, increased positive mood and improved daily feelings about life. 44 One could posit that these additional benefits may also directly or indirectly affect PU development. Taken together, in regions of the world where SCI is hidden from society and/or where inaccessibility and adaptive equipment limitations make activity difficult, individuals with SCI enjoy less mobility and therefore incur greater PU risk.…”