Abstract
Study design
Cross-sectional study.
Objective
To evaluate the reliability of home-based remote and self-assessment of transfer quality using the Transfer Assessment Instrument (TAI) among wheelchair users with spinal cord injury (SCI).
Setting
Participant’s home environment.
Methods
Eighteen wheelchair users with SCI transferred from their wheelchair to a surface of their choice (bed, sofa, or bench) in their homes. During a live video conference, the transfer was recorded and evaluated live using the TAI (rater 1). Participants completed a self-assessment of their transfer using the TAI- questionnaire (TAI-Q). Two additional raters (raters 2 & 3) completed asynchronous assessments by watching recorded videos. Interrater reliability was assessed using Intraclass Coefficient Correlations (ICC) to compare rater 1 with the average of raters 2 & 3 and TAI-Q. Intrarater reliability was assessed by rater 1 completing another TAI by watching the recorded videos after a 4-week delay. Assessments were compared using paired sample t-tests and level of agreement between TAI scores was evaluated using Bland–Altman plots.
Results
Moderate to good interrater and good intrarater reliability were found for the total TAI score with ICCs: 0.57–0.90 and 0.90, respectively. Moderate to good intrarater and interrater reliability were found for all TAI subscores (ICC: 0.60–0.94) except for interrater reliability of flight/landing which was poor (ICC: 0.20). Bland–Altman plots indicate no systematic bias related to the measurement of error.
Conclusions
The TAI is a reliable outcome measure for assessing the wheelchair and body setup phases of home-based transfers remotely and through self-assessment among individuals with SCI.
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Data availability
Data utilized in the current study may be made available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.
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Funding
The study was funded by the Illinois Physical Therapy Association (IPTF 098442).
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LA contributed by developing the study procedures, collecting and analyzing the data, interpreting the results, and writing the original draft of the manuscript. LAW contributed by developing the study, overseeing the study procedures, and revising the draft of the manuscript. SKR contributed by supporting data collection and by revising the draft of the manuscript. ES contributed by supporting data collection and by revising the draft of the manuscript. LAR contributed by developing the study, overseeing the study procedures, editing the original draft, and revising the draft of the manuscript.
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This study was approved by the Office for the Protection of Research Subjects at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and the University of Pittsburgh.
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Abou, L., Worobey, L.A., Rigot, S.K. et al. Reliability of home-based remote and self-assessment of transfers using the Transfer Assessment Instrument among wheelchair users with spinal cord injury. Spinal Cord Ser Cases 9, 10 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41394-023-00567-5
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41394-023-00567-5
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