close
close

Study highlights importance of appropriate mobility aids

Posted on by darion

Tyler MahnckePITTSBURGH – Clinical researchers from the University of Pittsburgh and the Medical University of South Carolina recently published a study that found that different types of mobility devices and certain characteristics of people with limited mobility are associated with reported falls.

The study, published in the journal Disability & Rehabilitation: Assistive Technology and based on an analysis of more than 11,000 anonymized cases from the Functional Mobility Assessment and Uniform Dataset (FMA/UDS) registry, found:

  • People with progressively acquired disabilities (i.e. Parkinson’s disease, osteoarthritis, and cardiopulmonary disease) reported higher rates of falls than those with congenital disabilities (i.e. cerebral palsy and spina bifida).

Comment:

“The results of this study provide further evidence of how appropriately fitted mobility devices tailored to the individual’s needs can help reduce falls,” said study co-author Mark Schmeler, who oversees the administration of the FMA/UDS registry as an occupational therapist and assistant professor in the Department of Rehabilitation Science and Technology at the University of Pitts.

“The results suggest that earlier interventions to prevent falls, including professional wheelchair evaluations, may be warranted,” said lead author Corey Morrow, assistant professor and LeaRRn fellow at MUSC and an occupational therapist. “However, further research will examine the long-term impact of appropriately prescribed mobility devices on falls.”

“I thank all of the members and clinical partners who are contributing to the registry because big data and research are essential to advancing complex rehabilitation technologies,” said Tyler Mahncke, president of US Rehab, a division of VGM & Associates, which supports the FMA/UDS registry.

Background:

The study was developed under a corporate research agreement between Pitt and VGM and funded as a subaward through the Learning Health Systems Rehabilitation Research Network. LeaRRn is supported by the National Institutes of Health through the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development and the National Institute of Nursing Research, and by the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences.