Evidence for your Practice: Use of Virtual Technology as an Intervention for Wheelchair Skills Training

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Article: Lam, J. F., Gosselin, L., & Rushton, P. W. (2018). Use of Virtual Technology as an Intervention for Wheelchair Skills Training: A Systematic Review. Archives of physical medicine and rehabilitation.

Study Aim: To provide a comprehensive description of the current state of knowledge regarding the use of virtual technology for wheelchair skills training.

Study Selection: Peer-reviewed studies or long conference proceedings that examined the use of virtual technology to deliver a wheelchair skills training intervention for any population with any diagnosis using any research design.

Methods: Study findings were systematically extracted into 5 tables (study design and participant characteristics, equipment and technology used, intervention characteristics, outcome measures, and outcomes).


Key Findings: 

• Most studies demonstrated that wheelchair skills training showed improved outcomes (e.g., simulation score, completion time, number of collisions) in the virtual environment and/or in the real world.
• Virtual technology may be a solution that can help to alleviate barriers to wheelchair skills training and subsequently improve wheelchair user skill.

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