Wilson-Jene, Holly
(2024)
Validation and Translation of a Novel Wheelchair Rolling Resistance Test Method.
Doctoral Dissertation, University of Pittsburgh.
(Unpublished)
Abstract
Manual wheelchairs are an essential device for many people to actively participate in daily life, but the high prevalence of upper limb (UL) pain and injury that increases with time directly affects quality of life for many manual wheelchair users. Clinical practice guidelines recommend minimizing frequency and force of UL repetitive task such as wheelchair propulsion. The force required for propulsion is primarily due to rolling resistance (RR), the energy loss from the contact of wheels with the surface, which can be quantified through testing.
Current RR test methods are primarily system level tests, which combine the effect of multiple factors (weight, weight distribution, rear wheels and casters, camber, toe angle) and do not provide the actionable data needed to advise how to lower RR for a specific manual wheelchair user. The need for a component-level RR test was identified by a previous research team, and this team developed drum-based RR test equipment to measure individual rear wheel and caster RR in a highly repeatable manner, and with precise measurement of RR forces that could be helpful to guide clinical decisions. The next steps towards realizing the benefits of this test and the goals of this dissertation were to validate that the test predicts RR compared to accepted system-level test methods, and to use the data to support the goals of stakeholders such as users, providers, manufacturers and researchers in reducing RR.
To validate that component-level test results provide necessary precision and accuracy compared with gold-standard test methods, validation studies were completed comparing drum RR with treadmill drag tests, and over-ground and treadmill SmartWheel RR on multiple surfaces (Chapters 2 & 3). To demonstrate the value of the component-level RR measurements, several studies were carried out. Component-level RR testing was used in collaborative wheelchair research to evaluate caster RR after two years of simulated use (Chapter 4) and this project is a first step towards translating component-level RR testing into research practice.
To support clinical provision, an online clinical decision support system named RightWheel was developed through a user-centered iterative design process (Chapter 5). A pilot launch study engaged clinicians to use RightWheel, provide feedback and assess usability/perceived usefulness, and confirmed the value of component-level RR with researchers and manufacturers (Chapter 6). Our team believes that validating the RR test method and translating it into use by clinicians, researchers and manufacturers can improve wheelchair product selection, provision, product development and standards.
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Details
| Item Type: |
University of Pittsburgh ETD
|
| Status: |
Unpublished |
| Creators/Authors: |
|
| ETD Committee: |
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| Date: |
29 July 2024 |
| Defense Date: |
8 July 2024 |
| Approval Date: |
10 September 2024 |
| Submission Date: |
29 July 2024 |
| Access Restriction: |
2 year -- Restrict access to University of Pittsburgh for a period of 2 years. |
| Number of Pages: |
277 |
| Institution: |
University of Pittsburgh |
| Schools and Programs: |
School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences > Rehabilitation Science and Technology |
| Degree: |
PhD - Doctor of Philosophy |
| Thesis Type: |
Doctoral Dissertation |
| Refereed: |
Yes |
| Uncontrolled Keywords: |
Manual wheelchair, assistive technology, rolling resistance, resultant force, propulsion, SmartWheel, drag force, deceleration testing, upper limb injury, clinical practice guidelines, clinical decision support system, usability, perceived usefulness, wheelchair standards, wheelchair provision process. user-centered design, product development, wheelchair standards, implementation, dissemination. |
| Date Deposited: |
10 Sep 2024 13:03 |
| Last Modified: |
10 Sep 2024 13:03 |
| URI: |
http://d-scholarship.pitt.edu/id/eprint/46774 |
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