RESUMO
OBJECTIVE: To assess interrater reliability of the Power Mobility Road Test (PMRT) when administered through the Virtual Reality-based SIMulator-version 2 (VRSIM-2). DESIGN: Within-subjects repeated-measures design. SETTING: Participants interacted with VRSIM-2 through 2 display options (desktop monitor vs immersive virtual reality screens) using 2 control interfaces (roller system vs conventional movement-sensing joystick), providing 4 different driving scenarios (driving conditions 1-4). Participants performed 3 virtual driving sessions for each of the 2 display screens and 1 session through a real-world driving course (driving condition 5). The virtual PMRT was conducted in a simulated indoor office space, and an equivalent course was charted in an open space for the real-world assessment. After every change in driving condition, participants completed a self-reported workload assessment questionnaire, the Task Load Index, developed by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. PARTICIPANTS: A convenience sample of electric-powered wheelchair (EPW) athletes (N=21) recruited at the 31st National Veterans Wheelchair Games. INTERVENTIONS: Not applicable. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Total composite PMRT score. RESULTS: The PMRT had high interrater reliability (intraclass correlation coefficient [ICC]>.75) between the 2 raters in all 5 driving conditions. Post hoc analyses revealed that the reliability analyses had >80% power to detect high ICCs in driving conditions 1 and 4. CONCLUSIONS: The PMRT has high interrater reliability in conditions 1 and 4 and could be used to assess EPW driving performance virtually in VRSIM-2. However, further psychometric assessment is necessary to assess the feasibility of administering the PMRT using the different interfaces of VRSIM-2.
Assuntos
Simulação por Computador , Pessoas com Deficiência/reabilitação , Modalidades de Fisioterapia/normas , Cadeiras de Rodas , Adulto , Idoso , Fontes de Energia Elétrica , Desenho de Equipamento , Feminino , Humanos , Masculino , Pessoa de Meia-Idade , Variações Dependentes do Observador , Reprodutibilidade dos Testes , Interface Usuário-ComputadorRESUMO
OBJECTIVE: To assess the stability of clinicians' and users' rating of electric-powered wheelchair (EPW) driving while using 4 different human-machine interfaces (HMIs) within the Virtual Reality-based SIMulator-version 2 (VRSIM-2) and in the real world (accounting for a total of 5 unique driving conditions). DESIGN: Within-subjects repeated-measures design. SETTING: Simulation-based assessment in a research laboratory. PARTICIPANTS: A convenience sample of EPW athletes (N=21) recruited at the 31st National Veterans Wheelchair Games. INTERVENTIONS: Not applicable. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Composite PMRT scores from the Power Mobility Road Test (PMRT); Raw Task Load Index; and the 6 subscale scores from the Task Load Index developed by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA-TLX). RESULTS: There was moderate stability (intraclass correlation coefficient between .50 and .75) in the total composite PMRT scores (P<.001) and the users' self-reported performance scores (P<.001) among the 5 driving conditions. There was a significant difference in the workload among the 5 different driving conditions as reflected by the Raw Task Load Index (P=.009). Subanalyses revealed this difference was due to the difference in the mental demand (P=.007) and frustration (P=.007) subscales. Post hoc analyses revealed that these differences in the NASA-TLX subscale scores were due to the differences between real-world and virtual driving scores, particularly attributable to the conditions (1 and 3) that lacked the rollers as a part of the simulation. CONCLUSIONS: Further design improvements in the simulator to increase immersion experienced by the EPW user, along with a standardized training program for clinicians to deliver PMRT in VRSIM-2, could improve the stability between the different HMIs and real-world driving.