Use of Virtual Technology as an Intervention for Wheelchair Skills Training: A Systematic Review

Objective: To provide a comprehensive description of the current state of knowledge regarding the use of virtual technology (VT) for wheelchair skills training.

Data sources: The Cochrane Library, MEDLINE, CINAHL, Embase, ACM, IEEE Xplore, Inspec, and Web of Science databases were searched for relevant articles from 1990 to February 2016.

Study selection: We included peer-reviewed studies or long conference proceedings that examined the use of VT as a medium to provide a wheelchair skills training intervention for any population with any diagnosis using any research design. One investigator screened the titles and abstracts, then 2 investigators independently reviewed the full-text articles. Disagreements regarding inclusion were resolved by consensus or a third reviewer. Ten studies were included out of 4994 initially identified.

Data extraction: Two investigators extracted data to systematically assess the studies' findings into 5 tables (study design and participant characteristics, equipment and technology used, intervention characteristics, outcome measures, and outcomes).

Data synthesis: Most studies demonstrated that VT wheelchair skills training showed improved outcomes (eg, simulation score, completion time, number of collisions) in the virtual environment and/or in the real world. However, subject characteristics, equipment, virtual environment, intervention tasks, and outcome measures varied across the studies.

Conclusions: There are a variety of studies using VT as an intervention for wheelchair skills training. Given the positive outcomes for most of the studies, it appears as though VT may indeed be a solution that can help to alleviate barriers to wheelchair skills training and subsequently improve wheelchair user skill.