The use of mobility assistive (MAT) devices has been pointed out as important factors to improve impaired mobility. The overall purpose of the study was to investigate the benefits of a new MAT device among people with multiple sclerosis (MS). This dissertation was based on three studies that investigated characteristics of MAT devices mostly used by adults with MS and the compliance of scooters, popular MAT devices among this population within three studies.
The first study was a systematic literature review of research related to the use of mobility assistive technology (MAT) devices among persons with multiple sclerosis (MS). Results of this systematic review showed that there are limited numbers of articles with higher levels of evidence were found in regards to use of MAT benefits specifically for adults with MS. The second study investigated the impact of MAT devices on quality of life, community participation and satisfaction with MAT devices of this population. We collected information of participants who came to two specialized seating and mobility clinics in Western Pennsylvania and MS support groups. Overall, participants reported an increase in physical independence among participants who received new MAT devices. Satisfaction with MAT device at follow up increased particularly among participants who transitioned from non-wheeled to wheeled MAT devices. The third study investigated compliance of 4 scooter models with ANSI/RESNA standards. Our results suggest that scooters currently available may not meet ANSI/RESNA standards. These results have serious implications to the users who rely on these devices to conduct their daily activities. Furthermore, these results indicate that the regulatory framework to ensure these devices are safe may need to be revised.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:PITT/oai:PITTETD:etd-08162011-190438 |
| Date | 01 September 2011 |
| Creators | Souza, Ana Elisa |
| Contributors | Rosemarie Cooper, MPT, ATP, Michael Boninger, MD, Mark R Schmeler, PhD, Rory A Cooper, PhD, Amol M. Karmarkar, PhD |
| Publisher | University of Pittsburgh |
| Source Sets | University of Pittsburgh |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Source | http://etd.library.pitt.edu/ETD/available/etd-08162011-190438/ |
| Rights | restricted, I hereby certify that, if appropriate, I have obtained and attached hereto a written permission statement from the owner(s) of each third party copyrighted matter to be included in my thesis, dissertation, or project report, allowing distribution as specified below. I certify that the version I submitted is the same as that approved by my advisory committee. I hereby grant to University of Pittsburgh or its agents the non-exclusive license to archive and make accessible, under the conditions specified below, my thesis, dissertation, or project report in whole or in part in all forms of media, now or hereafter known. I retain all other ownership rights to the copyright of the thesis, dissertation or project report. I also retain the right to use in future works (such as articles or books) all or part of this thesis, dissertation, or project report. |
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