DEVELOPMENT OF A NOVEL PEDIATRIC MOBILE MANUAL STANDING WHEELCHAIR

Purpose: Standing has a broad spectrum of health benefits for children with limited mobility. Currently pediatric standers are the preferred equipment to facilitate standing, however many children do not achieve therapeutic standing dosage regularly. This abstract describes the development of a novel pediatric manual mobile standing device for children with limited mobility and stakeholder feedback from focus groups.

Description: Health benefits of standing for children who use wheelchairs for mobility include the reduction of spasticity, maintenance of bone health, muscle length, and skin health along with cardiovascular and gastrointestinal health. Many options exist to facilitate standing, however there are barriers to daily use including the need for transfers from wheelchair to the standing device and the fact that standing devices limit children’s participation as they are used in a fixed position in a room. A manual novel device was developed that allows children to move from sitting to standing and remain mobile.

A collaborative effort of design engineers and clinicians worked to advance a model of an adult mobile standing wheelchair (MMSW). Novel features for the pediatric version of the MMSW included rear wheel drive in sitting and standing postures, single chain drives per side, and structural features to reduce shear. A computer aided design (CAD) model was completed with feedback from the diverse team.

Summary of Use: The CAD model was presented to several external stakeholders during a series of 9 focus groups. Participants included children with disabilities, caregivers, families, special education staff, and pediatric rehabilitation professionals. Feedback from the stakeholders included comments on features of the pediatric MMSW that they liked and did not like. Additional feedback provided information on potential design improvements and use applications. The CAD model and stakeholder feedback from the preliminary research will inform the project’s next phase, prototype development, testing, and additional research.

Importance to Members: Innovations in childhood mobility devices may advance health outcomes and decrease barriers to meet therapeutic dosage of standing. Use and development of a CAD driven presentation for focus groups allows for stakeholder centered driven design for advancement of pediatric health and standing compliance in children who use wheelchairs for primary mobility.