Document Type : Original Articles
Authors
1 School of Rehabilitation Therapy, Queen's University, Kingston, Canada.
2 Neuromuscular Rehabilitation Research Center, Semnan University of Medical Sciences, Semnan, Iran
3 Department of Occupational Therapy, School of Rehabilitation Sciences, Semnan University of Medical Sciences, Semnan, Iran.
4 Student Research Committee, School of Rehabilitation Sciences, Semnan University of Medical Sciences, Semnan, Iran.
5 Social Development and Health Promotion Research Center, Health Institute, Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences, Kermanshah, Iran
Abstract
Objectives: Online training for rehabilitating People with Spinal Cord injuries people with SCI is necessary. Various environmental barriers create challenges in transferring and transporting these individuals out of the home to participate in face-to-face interventions. This research aims to investigate the effectiveness of online group wheelchair mobility and transfer training, on the level of performance and satisfaction in people with SCI.
Methods: In a single-blind randomized controlled trial, individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI) were selected from SCI association hospitals and clinics, and then randomly assigned to an online training group (OTG) or a control group (CG) using blocked randomization. The OTG participated in five online training sessions over five weeks, while the CG received routine guidance through an individual online booklet. Results were analyzed to assess changes in occupational performance and satisfaction immediately after the intervention and one month later. To determine the efficacy of treatment and compare the results in each group, the repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used.
Results: 37 (CG=18 and OTG=19) out of 49 participants completed the 5-week intervention and follow-up assessments. The average age of participants in the CG was 35.0 years, and the OTG was 33.7 years. We found a significant increase in performance (p <0.001) and satisfaction (p <0.001) within the OTG during the pre-post assessment. There were also significant differences in performance (p <0.026) and satisfaction (p <0.015) between groups.
Discussion: The results showed that online wheelchair mobility and transfer training could be a suitable method for telerehabilitation and training People with SCI.
Keywords
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