Objective

To investigate the frequency and consequences of wheelchair repairs, looking at the relationship to usage, components, out-of-pocket costs, number of days affecting the user, and factors associated with the need for repairs or consequences.

Design

Survey, cross-sectional.

Setting

Nine spinal cord injury (SCI) Model Systems centers.

Participants

Wheelchair users with SCI (N=533).

Interventions

Not applicable.

Main Outcome Measures

Cost and incidence of wheelchair repairs and consequences and wheelchair usage within the past 6 months.

Results

A total of 310 participants (56%) reported repairs, 127 (42%) of whom experienced at least 1 adverse consequence lasting a median of 5 days (interquartile range [IQR], 2-17.3 days). Repair rates were highest for the seating system, electronics, and tires. Participants were most often stranded at home or forced to use a backup chair. Median out-of-pocket costs were $150 (IQR, $50-$620). Active users, based on type of mobility and terrain, experienced more repairs and consequences than less active users. Repairs were more common among those who were Black (odds ratio [OR], 2.42) or power wheelchair (PWC) users (OR, 1.84), whereas consequences were more common among those who were Black (OR, 2.27), PWC (OR, 2.08) or power assist users (OR, 2.76), and those who had public insurance (OR, 1.70).

Conclusions

Wheelchair repairs continue to affect more than 50% of wheelchair users with significant financial and personal cost. High repair rates limited participation inside and outside of the home. Consequences lasted longer than 2 weeks for many and may be minimized by a working backup chair. Disparities exist based on participant and wheelchair factors; repairs and adverse consequences appear to hit those most vulnerable with the least financial resources. Costs may be a barrier to repair completion for some individuals. This ongoing problem of high repair rates and their associated effects requires action such as higher standards, access to quicker service, and better training of users on wheelchair maintenance and repair.

中文翻译：

---

影响脊髓损伤患者轮椅修理发生率和后果的因素

客观的

调查轮椅维修的频率和后果，查看与使用、组件、自付费用、影响用户的天数以及与维修需求或后果相关的因素之间的关系。

设计

调查，横断面。

环境

九个脊髓损伤 (SCI) 模型系统中心。

参加者

患有 SCI 的轮椅使用者 (N=533)。

干预措施

不适用。

主要观察指标

过去 6 个月内轮椅维修的成本和发生率以及后果和轮椅使用情况。

结果

共有 310 名参与者 (56%) 报告了修复，其中 127 名 (42%) 经历了至少 1 次不良后果，持续时间中位数为 5 天（四分位数间距 [IQR]，2-17.3 天）。座椅系统、电子设备和轮胎的维修率最高。参与者最常被困在家里或被迫使用备用椅子。自付费用的中位数为 150 美元（IQR，50-620 美元）。根据移动类型和地形，活跃用户比不太活跃的用户经历了更多的维修和后果。修理在黑人（比值比 [OR]，2.42）或电动轮椅 (PWC) 使用者（OR，1.84）中更为常见，而后果在黑人（OR，2.27）、PWC（OR , 2.08) 或动力辅助使用者 (OR, 2.76)，以及那些拥有公共保险的人 (OR, 1.70)。

结论

轮椅维修继续影响着 50% 以上的轮椅使用者，造成巨大的经济和个人成本。高维修率限制了家庭内外的参与。许多人的后果持续时间超过 2 周，并且可以通过工作的备用椅子将其最小化。基于参与者和轮椅因素存在差异；维修和不利后果似乎影响到那些财力最少的最弱势群体。对于某些人来说，成本可能是完成维修的障碍。高维修率及其相关影响这一持续存在的问题需要采取行动，例如提高标准、获得更快的服务以及对用户进行更好的轮椅维护和维修培训。