Telehealth Seating and Wheelchair Assessments

Disability and Rehabilitation published a research review on the telehealth delivery of remote seating and wheelchair assessments and needs for adults and children.

What Does the Research Say on Telehealth Seating and Wheelchair Assessments?

A systemic search of five data bases and scoping review was performed of peer-reviewed publications on telehealth and wheelchair assessment.

The results indicated the following:

• nine studies published in 13 documents met the inclusion criteria.
• the effect of telehealth compared to in-person assessment was insignificant indicating equivocal effectiveness (n = 2).
• Telehealth assessment improved accessibility for some wheelchair users (n = 1).
• the process of telehealth and wheelchair assessment was inadequately described in all studies.
• the groups of wheelchair users and providers evaluated telehealth based on different criteria including accessibility, professional supportiveness and technical accuracy.

Conclusion on Telehealth and Wheelchair Assessments

The researchers concluded that telehealth wheelchair and seating assessment may be as effective as in-person assessment. Telehealth assessment was viewed favorably by wheelchair users but expert assessors had some hesitations. Improvements are needed in the description of wheelchair and seating assessment protocols in order to determine the differences between tele- and in-person evaluations.

Reference: Graham, F., Boland, P., Grainger, R., & Wallace, S. (2019). Telehealth delivery of remote assessment of wheelchair and seating needs for adults and children: a scoping review. Disability and Rehabilitation, 1-11.

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