Resources search

Purpose: 

Access to an appropriate wheelchair is a human right. Only between 5–15% of people who need a wheelchair have access to one. One of the key barriers to access is the lack of appropriately trained rehabilitation professionals. The objective of this study was to evaluate basic manual wheelchair provision knowledge in final-year physiotherapy undergraduate students in two programs in Colombia.

Materials and methods: 

Students took the International Society of Wheelchair Professionals Wheelchair Service Provision – Basic Test which was administered online and in Spanish. The minimum score to pass the test is 70%; it assesses seven domains: Assessment; Prescription; Products; Fitting; User training; Follow-up, maintenance, and repairs; and Process.

Results and conclusions: 

One-hundred sixteen students took the test and no one passed the test. The highest median domain scores were in Assessment and Process while the lowest were in Fitting and Products. The limitations of this study include that this sample does not represent all physiotherapy programmes or students in Colombia, there may be potential errors in the Spanish translation of the outcome measure, and students encountered Internet connectivity issues during the test that may have impacted their scores. Immediate interventions are required to improve teaching and students’ learning outcomes related to basic manual wheelchair provision in these two programs. This study may serve as a foundation for future regional or national studies that assess the situation of wheelchair provision training in rehabilitation programs that will inform improvement actions. This manuscript is also available in Spanish as Supplemental Material.

Purpose: Post-polio Syndrome (PPS) affects polio survivors many years after the initial attack, and causes new musculoskeletal symptoms and decline in physical function. This study aims to compare the effect of exercise and lifestyle modification versus lifestyle modification alone, on fatigue and functional capacity in persons with PPS.

Method: An experimental study was conducted at the physiotherapy department of VS Hospital in Ahmedabad. As per the criteria of Halstead (1985), 21 PPS subjects who were between 18 and 65 years of age, and able to walk indoors and outdoors, with or without assistive aids, were included. They were randomly allocated into 3 groups using the envelope method. Those with physician- diagnosed respiratory or cardiac insufficiency, disabling co-morbidity which interfered with the intervention programme or influenced the outcome, and those unable to cooperate due to cognitive impairment or use of any psychotropic drugs, were excluded. Fatigue and functional capacity were measured using Fatigue Severity Scale (FSS) and 2-minute walk distance, respectively. Physical and psychological functions were assessed using Patient Reported Outcome Measurement Information System (PROMIS) questionnaire and Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) respectively. Intervention was given for 5 days a week, over 4 weeks. Group A received exercise and lifestyle modification, group B received lifestyle modification alone and group C continued their usual routine for 1 month.

Results: There was a significant difference in fatigue and functional capacity within groups A and B, with group A showing better reduction in fatigue than groups B or C. Physical function improved only within group A, and a significant difference was seen compared to groups B and C. Psychological function showed no difference within or between the groups.

Conclusion: There was improvement in fatigue, functional capacity and physical function in PPS subjects after 4 weeks of exercise and lifestyle modification. Lifestyle modifications alone for 4 weeks improved fatigue and functional capacity in PPS subjects. There is significant reduction in fatigue and improvement in functional capacity when lifestyle modification advice is given along with exercise.