Skip to main content

BRIEF RESEARCH REPORT article

Front. Rehabil. Sci.
Sec. Interventions for Rehabilitation
Volume 5 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fresc.2024.1406938

Translation, Extension, and Evaluation of Usability, Usefulness, and Safety of a Fall Prevention and Management Program for People Living with Spinal Cord Injury and Multiple Sclerosis who use Wheelchairs or Scooters Full Time

Provisionally accepted
  • 1 University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, United States
  • 2 University of Illinois Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, United States

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Background: Falls are prevalent among people living with Multiple Sclerosis (PwMS) and Spinal Cord Injury (PwSCI) who use wheelchairs or scooters (WC/S) full time, however, there is a scarcity of evidence-based fall prevention and management programs. Objective: To describe the systematic translation of an in-person fall prevention and management program (Individualized Reduction Of FaLLs -iROLL) for PwMS to an online platform, extending its scope to include PwSCI, and to evaluate the preliminary useability, usefulness, and safety of the intervention. Methods: iROLL was systematically translated to an online platform (iROLL-O). PwMS and PwSCI who use a WC/S full time, experienced at least one fall within the past 36 months, and could transfer independently or with minimal to moderate assistance, enrolled in iROLL-O. Usability, usefulness, and safety were evaluated through 1:1 semi-structured interviews, gathering feedback on: perceived impact of the intervention on falls and functional mobility, program experiences, adverse events, and recommendations for improvement. Results: Five participants successfully completed the iROLL-O program. No safety concerns were raised by participants. Themes emerging from the semi-structured interviews included: 1) barriers and facilitators to program access, 2) motivation for participation, 3) program outcomes, and 4) program content and structure. Participants reported reduced concerns about falling, enhanced functional mobility skills, and highlighted the supportive nature of synchronous group meetings for learning.

    Keywords: Wheelchair, falls, self-managment, Online Education, Community participation

    Received: 25 Mar 2024; Accepted: 05 Sep 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Rice, Yehya, Yi, Koziel and Peterson. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Laura A. Rice, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, United States

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.