Rationale: Recovery of autonomy, in paralyzed/with severe disabilities patients, is one of the most difficult challenges for rehabilitation. Thus, an appropriate wheelchair is essential for this kind of people, both in daily lives, including work and social participation, and for quality of life (QoL). Objective: The purpose of the study is to achieve a consistent improvement to the actual models of wheelchairs followed by validation through clinical trial of the optimized prototype, in order to enhance the users' autonomy and QoL. Material and Results: In the research activities and for establishing constructive and optimized functional solutions will be used, simulation of system operation techniques, based on software packages and Computer-Aided Design/ Engineering (CAD/ CAE) systems. Validation, of the optimized wheelchair prototype, through clinical trial, requires a prospective study. The study will include a group of 30 patients, who will be investigated for a one-month period. The patients will complete, at the end of the study, a standardized questionnaire containing generic data and many items referring to the optimized wheelchair functions and to the autonomy of the users including in relation to their own expectations. We will also use the quantified evaluation scale of QoL, Wheelchair Outcome Measure (WhOM) and a Falls Concern Scale for people with Spinal Cord Injury (SCI-FCS). Discussion: The wheelchair particularities that we pursue, and which are distinguished from the other models, is the fact that the wheelchair is powered, pliable and allows verticalization, hopefully at a price comparable or even lower than the current state of the art models (but none of them succeeded by now to fulfil all this three basic functions on a single "all in one" such device). Hence, if our optimized prototype will achieve technical and clinical validation, this will result in a significant enhancement of autonomy and QoL for the users.
Keywords: ADAMS = Advanced Data Management System; ADL = Activity of Daily Living; CAD = Computer-Aided Design; CAE = Computer-Aided Engineering; CATIA = Computer Aided Three-dimensional Interactive Application; MMSE = Mini Mental State Examination; QoL = Quality of Life; Quality of Life (QoL); RDI = Researcher Development Initiative; SCI = Spinal Cord Injury; SCI-FCS = Falls Concern Scale for people with Spinal Cord Injury; WhOM = Wheelchair Outcome Measure; autonomy; optimized “all in one” wheelchair.
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