Ergonomic Evaluation and Analysis of Manual Wheelchairs-Users Interfaces

Abstract

Manual wheelchair (MWc) is an assistive technology that commonly used by mobility impaired people. So, neglecting ergonomic principle during MWc desing and priscription process can impose many negative effects on MWc users. Therefore, the present cross-sectional study was carried out in order to ergonomic evaluation and analysis of MWc interfaces among a sample of 109 Iranian MWc users. Usability, comfort and discomfort as effectiveness and performance indicies, and musculoskeletal symptoms as a health idex were subjectively evaluated base on related qustionnairs. As well as match/mismatch of MWc interfaces and its assossiation with ergonomic idices were evaluated and analyised based on study participants anthropometric charecteristics. Finding showed that all MWcs interfaces were mismath at least in one dimention with its users. More than 50% of users have evaluated their device poorly usable. All participants have at least one problem regard to discomfort raleted to MWc, and all of them were experienced musculoskeletal symptoms at least in one part of their bodies in last year. So that, in term of multiple lenear and logestic regression modeling, the mismatch of MWc interfaces have significant association with usability, comfort, discomfort and muscluskeletal symptoms. The most effective MWc dimensions on ergonomics indices that need to redesign or optimization were hand rim position, seat width and feet rests height respectively. Based on study finding match/mismatch of MWc interfaces can take into consideration as a new factor in conceptiual assisstive technology models that was neglected previously.