Karmarkar, Amol Mahadeo
(2009)
PRESCRIPTION, OUTCOMES, AND RISK ASSESSMENT OF WHEELCHAIRS FOR AGING POPULATION.
Doctoral Dissertation, University of Pittsburgh.
(Unpublished)
Abstract
Older adults are the largest and fastest growing users of wheeled mobility devices (wheelchairs). Research in the areas of: utilization; and outcomes is very limited. Lack of evidence based research often results in the provision of lower quality of wheelchairs to aging adults. This problem is more predominant for those living in Nursing Homes (NH) or other institutional settings. The goal of this dissertation work was to present a continuum of research studies, conducted with older adults that emphasized on: the development of a methodology (utilization review); measurement of outcomes; and identification of problems associated with use of wheelchairs that may pose a threat to the health, and safety of older adults. We anticipate that the overall outcomes of this work will help rehabilitation professionals to move towards performing utilization reviews through appropriate use of clinical environment. Such research will help in both the development of standard of care guidelines, and proving effectiveness and efficiency of service provision. We also expect to see this work influencing the outcomes research for older adults using wheelchairs. This will help in needs assessment of potential users (of wheelchairs) and will also help to evaluate: quality of services (devices) provided, and impact of types of wheelchairs on mobility and safety of users. Finally, we anticipate to see application use of the Wheelchair Assessment Checklist (WAC) by clinicians in detection of problems associated with wheelchairs and prevention of component failures, which in turn, will control (to some extent) the occurrence of unintentional (acute and chronic) injuries.
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Details
| Item Type: |
University of Pittsburgh ETD
|
| Status: |
Unpublished |
| Creators/Authors: |
| Creators | Email | Pitt Username | ORCID  |
|---|
| Karmarkar, Amol Mahadeo | amk73@pitt.edu | AMK73 | |
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| ETD Committee: |
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| Date: |
10 September 2009 |
| Date Type: |
Completion |
| Defense Date: |
18 June 2009 |
| Approval Date: |
10 September 2009 |
| Submission Date: |
12 July 2009 |
| Access Restriction: |
No restriction; Release the ETD for access worldwide immediately. |
| Institution: |
University of Pittsburgh |
| Schools and Programs: |
School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences > Rehabilitation Science |
| Degree: |
PhD - Doctor of Philosophy |
| Thesis Type: |
Doctoral Dissertation |
| Refereed: |
Yes |
| Uncontrolled Keywords: |
Aging; Injury Prevention; Mobility; Older Adults; Outcomes; Wheelchair |
| Other ID: |
http://etd.library.pitt.edu/ETD/available/etd-07122009-140653/, etd-07122009-140653 |
| Date Deposited: |
10 Nov 2011 19:50 |
| Last Modified: |
15 Nov 2016 13:45 |
| URI: |
http://d-scholarship.pitt.edu/id/eprint/8349 |
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