Training physiotherapy students in basic wheelchair provision. Experiences at two universities in Colombia.

Wheelchair provision training is essential to overcome barriers related to the lack of knowledge of health professionals on this topic. Appropriate knowledge of the service provision process may lead to higher quality service and products, and thus be more likely to help people with mobility impairments achieve the fundamental human right of personal mobility. This study aimed to describe a training intervention for two groups of future physiotherapists in Colombia, assess cohort differences in performance on a knowledge test, and explore their post-training perceptions. A quantitative retrospective study with a historical, descriptive-comparative design was conducted. 525 sixth-semester participants completed the International Society of Wheelchair Professionals Wheelchair Service Provision - Basic Test online in Spanish after curriculum modifications were implemented. The test assesses knowledge in seven domains: Assessment; Prescription; Products; Fitting; User training; Follow-up, maintenance, and repairs; and Process. The training intervention was successfully implemented with Physiotherapy students from two institutions, resulting in a 57% increase in test approval rates. Participants demonstrated increased knowledge, satisfaction with the course content, and application of learning to their current work. These results suggest implications for what pedagogical approach to employ, when curricular change may be warranted, and specific considerations for the Colombian context. Furthermore, identifying the minimal knowledge basis for undergraduate programs and facilitating its dissemination can support interprofessional education and enhance professionals' capacity to support wheelchair provision services.

Developing pedagogical materials and resources should address academic needs while also being adaptable to the healthcare system and cultural and economic resources.Establishing minimal knowledge bases for physiotherapists and facilitating their dissemination to support interprofessional education are crucial steps.Sharing pedagogical experiences that improve health workforce training promotes the quality of wheelchair service provision, benefiting the functional independence and well-being of people with disabilities.The use of international resources such as the ISWP test in the training of the health workforce contributes to the standardization of the training process regardless of the context.

Factors that influence the use of community assets by people with physical disabilities: results of participatory mapping in Envigado, Colombia.

BACKGROUND: Disability is an evolving concept that results from the complex interaction between a person with an impairment and the context in which he/she lives. There is limited understanding on the types, access and use of community assets valuable for people with disabilities, and the role of contextual factors in Colombia. Our goal with this work was to identify the factors at the levels of the socio-ecological framework, and their interaction, that influence the use of community assets among people with physical disabilities and community stakeholders in Envigado, Colombia. METHODS: Using participatory mapping, a community based participatory approach, we carried out an assessment of community assets identified by people with disabilities and rehabilitation professionals. In-depth interviews (n = 32) informed the design of two participatory mapping activities, one among people with disabilities (n = 5) and a second with rehabilitation professionals (n = 4). Results were presented in a community forum to receive feedback on the findings. RESULTS: Main findings indicate a chain of contextual factors that limit access and use of assets stemming from the personal (e.g. financial resources, inaccessible housing), interpersonal level (e.g. lack of a personal assistance or aid), and community levels (e.g. lack of accessible public transportation and inaccessible buildings). In most cases these barriers are heightened by system level barriers (e.g. lack of effective enforcement of the legal framework). CONCLUSIONS: Identifying these contextual factors, and their interactions, calls for stronger enforcement of the existing legal framework through articulated work between different stakeholders, so that people with disabilities can enjoy community assets.

Undergraduate physiotherapy students' basic wheelchair provision knowledge: a pilot study in two universities in Colombia.

Purpose: Access to an appropriate wheelchair is a human right. Only between 5-15% of people who need a wheelchair have access to one. One of the key barriers to access is the lack of appropriately trained rehabilitation professionals. The objective of this study was to evaluate basic manual wheelchair provision knowledge in final-year physiotherapy undergraduate students in two programs in Colombia.Materials and methods: Students took the International Society of Wheelchair Professionals Wheelchair Service Provision - Basic Test which was administered online and in Spanish. The minimum score to pass the test is 70%; it assesses seven domains: Assessment; Prescription; Products; Fitting; User training; Follow-up, maintenance, and repairs; and Process.Results and conclusions: One-hundred sixteen students took the test and no one passed the test. The highest median domain scores were in Assessment and Process while the lowest were in Fitting and Products. The limitations of this study include that this sample does not represent all physiotherapy programmes or students in Colombia, there may be potential errors in the Spanish translation of the outcome measure, and students encountered Internet connectivity issues during the test that may have impacted their scores. Immediate interventions are required to improve teaching and students' learning outcomes related to basic manual wheelchair provision in these two programs. This study may serve as a foundation for future regional or national studies that assess the situation of wheelchair provision training in rehabilitation programs that will inform improvement actions. This manuscript is also available in Spanish as Supplemental Material.Implications for rehabilitationThis study indicates that students' current knowledge on basic appropriate manual wheelchair provision from two physiotherapy programs in Colombia is insufficient. Students' knowledge does not align with the minimum guidelines recommended for wheelchair service provision by the World Health Organization.Objectively identifying the gap in knowledge in rehabilitation trainees (i.e., physiotherapy students) is a strategy to promote the inclusion of assistive technology related content in formal academic training.The need to include formal training of appropriate wheelchair provision persists and without this training, people with disabilities who require a wheelchair for mobility will continue to face barriers to full participation in society.