Phronesis: Recognising a neglected dimension of knowledge within occupational therapy research.

BACKGROUND: Phronesis is a way of knowing, implying wisdom, experiences, and reflections that guide our judgements. Phronesis, important for learning, is a neglected form of knowledge when applied to research. AIM: To examine how phronesis is conceptualised and practiced in three research projects. METHOD: Data from eight interviews with researchers involved in three research projects was generated. The interview material was analysed. A theoretical matrix of contemporary understanding of phronesis was applied to the material. RESULT: Examples of phronesis from three research projects in occupational therapy are presented according to categories of contemporary phronesis; acknowledging embodiment, embracing humility, using perceptiveness, and practicing reflexivity. SIGNIFICANCE: This unique approach of analysing research projects contributes to the understanding of phronesis and its implications for research, providing valuable insights into the researchers' praxis in their respective projects. CONCLUSION: There is a need for a greater recognition of phronesis as a dimension of knowledge within all types of research, and within the discipline. By not recognising phronesis as a legitimate form of knowledge, the discipline perpetuates a superiority of knowledge from episteme that dominates our ways of learning about the world around us and where the type of knowledge gleaned from phronesis is consequently marginalised.

Self-Management Analysis in Chronic Conditions (SMACC) checklist: an international consensus-based tool to develop, compare and evaluate self-management support programmes.

OBJECTIVES: The Self-Management Analysis in Chronic Conditions (SMACC) checklist was developed as a guidance tool to support the development, comparison and evaluation of self-management support programmes for persons with a chronic condition. The checklist was based on a previously performed concept analysis of self-management. The aim of this study was to validate its content using an international Delphi study and to deliver a final version. DESIGN: A two-round Delphi study was conducted between October 2022 and January 2023. Using the researchers' networks, professionals with research or clinical expertise in self-management support and chronic conditions were recruited via online purposive snowball sampling. Participants were asked to score each item of the checklist (16 items total) on 3 content validity indicators: (1) clarity and comprehensibility, (2) relevance and importance and (3) degree of alignment with the overall goal of the checklist to promote adequate and comprehensive self-management support programmes. A consensus threshold of 75% agreement was used. The participants were also asked general questions about the checklist as a whole and were asked to provide feedback considering its refinement. RESULTS: Fifty-four professionals with an average 14.5 years of experience participated in round 1, 48 with an average 12.5 years of experience participated in round 2. The majority of professionals were from Western Europe. For the majority of items consensus was reached after round 1. In round 2, 3 of the 4 remaining items reached consensus, 1 last item was retained based on highly recurring feedback. CONCLUSIONS: The SMACC checklist was considered a valid and comprehensive tool to aid the development, evaluation and comparison of self-management support programmes. It was acknowledged as a useful instrument to supplement existing frameworks and was seen as feasible to implement in both research and clinical settings. Further validation in the field, with input from patients and peer experts, will be valuable.

Occupational gaps reported by proxies for persons with dementia residing in a nursing home.

BACKGROUND: In accordance with Swedish national dementia guidelines, persons with dementia residing in nursing homes should have the possibility to participate in everyday occupations. Securing choices and desires for participating in occupations is challenging due to the nature of dementia and is not evident in empirical studies regarding nursing home residents. AIM: to describe gaps in participation in everyday occupations among persons with dementia living in a nursing home, as reported by a proxy respondent. METHOD: To record the congruence or discrepancy between doing and wanting to do, the Occupational Gaps Questionnaire was used. Results were analysed with descriptive statistics. RESULTS: The respondents scored that over half of the persons with dementia had two or more occupational gaps and one-fourth wanted to participate in minor shopping. However, less than two percent were deemed to do this activity. CONCLUSIONS: Persons with dementia living in nursing homes risk restrictions in participation. Securing valuable information regarding individuals' choices and desires, adhering to the persons' inherent rights to expression, can be the first step in promoting participation in everyday occupations. SIGNIFICANCE: Occupational therapists with their unique theoretical knowledge can facilitate participation in occupations, supporting the citizenship of nursing home residents.

Experiences of participation in everyday activities for people with stroke in Nairobi, Kenya.

BACKGROUND: Stroke is currently one of the greatest causes of disability and death in Kenya. Previous research indicates a lack of knowledge regarding how participation in everyday life is experienced after a stroke in Sub-Sahara Africa. OBJECTIVES: The aim was to explore and describe experiences of participation in everyday life for people who had had a stroke living in Nairobi, Kenya. METHODS: A qualitative study design using semi-structured interviews with nine people who have had a stroke, together with their caregivers. The inclusion criteria were: 1) stroke diagnosis 2) no psychiatric diagnosis, and 3) ability to understand and respond to instructions in English, or local language. All participants were living in the community, members of the Stroke Association of Kenya, and participated voluntarily. The transcribed interviews were analyzed using qualitative content analysis. RESULTS: The participants expressed their experiences of participation in everyday life, along with how resources and barriers affected their participation. Three categories were found:1) A sense of satisfaction at being involved in everyday life, 2) Challenges in doing everyday activities and social participation, and 3) Dependence as enabling or hindering participation. CONCLUSIONS: After stroke, people's experiences of participation in everyday life changed. Performing activities that the person found meaningful added a sense of increased participation and satisfaction. The experience of being dependent in everyday activities and finances appeared to reduce perceived participation. Participation in a group connected to a patient association with like-minded people contributed to a new role, and a sense of belonging.

The jigsaw puzzle of activities for mastering daily life; service recipients and professionals' perceptions of gains and changes attributed to reablement - A qualitative meta-synthesis.

BACKGROUND: Reablement services are intended to make a difference in the daily lives of older adults. Outcomes are often described in terms of independence, improving quality of life, improving ADL functioning, or reducing services. However, little is known if the older adults or next-of-kin experience these outcomes when talking about participating in reablement services. AIM: This study aims to explore how older adults, next-of-kin, and professionals narrate the reablement recipients' possible outcomes as gains and changes in everyday life during and after the reablement period. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This meta-synthesis included 13 studies. Data were analyzed with a meta-ethnographic approach, searching for overarching metaphors, in three stages. RESULTS: The metaphor 'the jigsaw puzzle of activities for mastering daily life again' illustrates that re-assembling everyday life after reablement is not a straightforward process of gains and changes but includes several daily activities that must be organized and fit together. To obtain a deeper understanding of the participants' gains, and changes after reablement, we use the theoretical framework of 'doing, being, becoming, and belonging'. CONCLUSION: The findings indicate the complexity of reablement services as well as the need for a holistic approach. SIGNIFICANCE: Outcome measures should be meaningful for reablement recipients.

Individual and organisational factors in the psychosocial work environment are associated with home care staffs' job strain: a Swedish cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Home care staff (HCS) provide essential service to enable older adults to age in place. However, unreasonable demands in the work environment to deliver a safe, effective service with high quality has a negative impact on the individual employee's well-being and the care provided to the older adults. The psychosocial work environment is associated with employees´ well-being, although, knowledge regarding which individual and organisational factors that contribute to job strain for HCS is limited. These factors need to be identified to develop targeted interventions and create sustainable work situations for HCS. This study aimed to explore how HCS´s perceived job strain is associated with, and to what extent can be explained by, individual and organisational factors of the psychosocial work environment and psychosomatic health. METHOD: An explorative cross-sectional questionnaire survey design was used in a large Swedish county. Five home care agencies with a total of 481 HCS were asked to respond to a questionnaire regarding their perceived level of job strain (Strain in Dementia Care Scale), psychosocial work environment (QPSNordic34+), and psychosomatic health (Satisfaction with Work Questionnaire). Multiple linear regression (MLR) analyses were conducted to explore the association between job strain and individual and organisational factors. RESULTS: In total, 226 (46%) HCS responded to the questionnaire. Both individual and organisational factors were significant predictors of job strain and explained a variance ranging between 39 to 51% (p = 0.001). The organisational factor job demand and the individual factor feeling worried and restless was most frequently represented in these MRL models. A higher job strain was also associated with adverse outcomes regarding leadership, organisational culture and climate, and control at work. CONCLUSION: This study indicates that there is an intertwined complexity of individual and organisational factors that are associated with the HCS´s perception of job strain. Implementation of new multidimensional work strategies, such as a reablement approach, could support the development of efficient strategies for HCS and reduce the level of job strain. Policy changes for the provision of home care are also needed to support the development of a sustainable and healthy psychosocial work environment.

ASSIST: a reablement program for older adults in Sweden - a feasibility study.

BACKGROUND: Western countries emphasise the provision of assistive home care by implementing reablement services. Reablement services are offered to a limited degree in Sweden, and systematic research regarding outcomes and how reablement can be tailored to maximize benefits for older adults has been lacking. This study aimed to evaluate the feasibility of a novel reablement program (ASSIST 1.0) regarding study design and outcome measures, as well as fidelity, adherence, and acceptability of the program in a Swedish context. METHOD: A non-randomised, quasi-experimental, mixed-method, pre/post-test design was applied with an intervention group receiving ASSIST 1.0 (n = 7) and a control group receiving regular home care (n = 10). ASSIST 1.0 was developed to empower older adults to increase their perceived performance and satisfaction of performing activities in everyday life as well as increase their perceived health, self-efficacy, and well-being. ASSIST 1.0 was founded on the concept of reablement and included three components: i) goal setting with The Canadian Occupational Performance Measure (COPM), ii) provided support to home care staff to enhance their provision of reablement, and iii) explored the incorporation and use of an information- and communication technology (ICT) to facilitate information transfer. RESULTS: Using COPM for goal setting with older adults and providing support to the staff via workshops were valuable components in the delivery of ASSIST 1.0. The ICT product encountered several challenges and could not be evaluated. COPM and EQ-5D were deemed the most important instruments. Organisational and political barriers affected the feasibility. Although, the fidelity and adherence were complied the staff perceived the program to be acceptable. CONCLUSION: The ASSIST 1.0 program was feasible in regard of study design, delivering the intervention, and evaluating instruments that detected a change. A logical progression would be to conduct a full-scale trial. In addition, a usability study to evaluate the technological component is also recommended. With minor improvements, the ASSIST 1.0 program has the potential to contribute to the development of a home care organisation that could enhance older adults possibility to age in place at home. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: NCT03505619.

Engaging occupations among persons at risk for stroke: A health paradox.

BACKGROUND: An occupational perspective in stroke prevention could support sustainable changes in habits and routines that could contribute to reduce modifiable risk factors. AIM: To explore engaging occupation in relation to risk for stroke by drawing on experiences from everyday life among persons with a heightened risk for stroke. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Interviews from 14 persons with an increased risk for stroke were analysed by a constant comparative approach. FINDINGS: The analysis resulted in the core category; the paradox of engaging occupations and health. The paradox involved aspects of engaging occupations that could provide well-being and at the same time were compromising considering stroke health. CONCLUSIONS AND SIGNIFICANCE: The paradox conceptually challenges some of the core values inherent in occupational therapy regarding the relationship between engaging occupations, health and well-being. Gaining a deeper understanding of experiences of occupations and studying this in relation to health promoting or compromising characteristics of occupations, can facilitate lifestyle programs that support changes in everyday life. Moreover, programs need to be designed to offer personal relevance and to facilitate a positive balance between health compromising occupations and health promoting occupations in everyday life.

Primary prevention of stroke: randomised controlled pilot trial protocol on engaging everyday activities promoting health.

INTRODUCTION: Stroke is a globally common disease that has detrimental effects on the individual and, more broadly, on society. Lifestyle change can contribute to reducing risk factors for stroke. Although a healthy lifestyle has direct benefits, sustaining and incorporating healthy activities into everyday life is a challenge. Engaging everyday activities have the potential to support lifestyle change and to promote sustainable activity patterns. Current healthcare is failing to reduce modifiable risk factors in people at risk, and in addition to current practice, there is a need for systematic and efficient non-pharmacological and non-surgical stroke-prevention strategies. The aim of the pilot study was to increase knowledge about the effects of a prevention programme and its feasibility to promote sustainable and healthy activity patterns among persons at risk of stroke. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: The proposed pilot study will be a two-armed randomised, assessor-blinded, parallel pilot trial. The study will include feasibility data, investigating acceptability and delivery of the intervention. Persons at risk of stroke (n=60) will be included in a mobile phone-supported prevention programme. The 10-week programme will be conducted at primary healthcare clinics, combining group meetings and online resources to support self-management of lifestyle change. Main outcomes are stroke risk, lifestyle habits and healthy activity patterns. Assessments will be performed at baseline and at follow-up (immediately following the end of the programme and at 6 and 12 months). Effects of the programme will be analysed using inferential statistics. Feasibility will be analysed using both qualitative and quantitative methods. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: The study has been approved by the Regional Ethical Review Board in Stockholm, Sweden, being granted reference numbers 2015/834-31, 2016/2203-32 and 2019/01444. Study results will be disseminated through peer-review journals and presentations to mixed audiences at regional and international conferences. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: NCT03730701.

Evaluation of an intervention addressing a reablement programme for older, community-dwelling persons in Sweden (ASSIST 1.0): a protocol for a feasibility study.

INTRODUCTION: Older persons with functional limitations often need assistance from home care staff to thrive and continue to live in their home environments. Reablement, a proactive, preventative approach administered by home care staff, stimulating active engagement of the older person, is often recommended. Even though reablement has a potential to become a new rehabilitation model and has been implemented in different countries in various degrees, there is a lack of knowledge regarding the process of establishing reablement, the theoretical underpinnings and the conditionality and outcomes in different contexts. This knowledge is needed before full-scale recommendations can be made for implementation in specific contexts. AIM: This study protocol aims to present a feasibility study of the intervention, ASSIST 1.0, a theory-based reablement programme, which includes coaching of home care staff and digitally based smart products, in a Swedish context. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: This feasibility study will evaluate the perceived value and acceptability of ASSIST 1.0 intervention programme regarding fidelity, reach and dose, and potential outcomes by using a pretest and post-test design involving an intervention group and a control group (n=30) of older persons living at home, needing home care services. Qualitative interviews with home care staff delivering ASSIST and the older adults receiving the intervention as well as their significant others will be conducted to explore aspects affecting the intervention. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: This study has been approved by the regional ethics board. The results of the feasibility study will form the base for refinement of the ASSIST programme and for the subsequent planning of a full-scale randomised controlled trial investigating the effect of the programme on a larger scale. Dissemination will include peer-reviewed publications and presentations at national and international conferences as well as information to involved stakeholders. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: NCT03505619.

An integrative review of information and communication technology based support interventions for carers of home dwelling older people.

BACKGROUND: A growing number of studies of informal carers of older people reveal positive results concerning support via Information and Communication Technologies (ICT). Systematic examination of factors that have a potential impact on carer outcomes are needed to inform future research. OBJECTIVE: To explore studies concerning ICT support of adult carers of older people and to identify study characteristics that have a potential impact on carer outcomes. METHODS: This integrative review includes 123 studies published since 2005. Fundamental questions for designing sensitive support interventions; 'who, what, and how' were applied to a synthesis of the results. RESULTS: Identified characteristics from the studies responding to the who question included variables of the carers, such as their relationship with the care recipient or their ethnicity. Characteristics related to the what question related to the types of interventions, and the how question concerned the different services or programs offered, the idiosyncratic needs of the carers, and the types of technologies used. CONCLUSION: Results are discussed according to micro, meso and macro levels of analysis. This extensive review can inform future studies and highlight the evidence in the area for decision makers, practitioners and/or NGOs working with innovative forms of support for carers of older people.

Perceived impact of stroke six years after onset, and changes in impact between one and six years.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the perceived impact of stroke between 1 and 6 years after stroke using the Stroke Impact Scale 3.0 (SIS). DESIGN: A prospective longitudinal study. METHODS: A total of 100 individuals were assessed using the SIS 3.0 at 1 and 6 years after onset of stroke and clinically meaningful changes were explored. Changes in domain scores were calculated over time in relation to age, sex and stroke severity. RESULTS: The most impacted SIS domains after 6 years were Participation, Strength, Hand function, and Stroke recovery. Participants with moderate/severe stroke experienced a higher impact in all domains except Hand function and Stroke recovery, indicating more problems in everyday life, compared with those with mild stroke. Almost half of the participants had a clinically meaningful change in the domain Participation between 1 and 6 years. Those with moderate/severe stroke and the older age group experienced more negative clinically meaningful changes in several domains in comparison with those with mild stroke and the younger age group. CONCLUSION: The long-term perceived impact of stroke highlights the importance of appropriate rehabilitation interventions within several areas to reduce the long-term negative impact in everyday life.

Association between satisfaction and participation in everyday occupations after stroke.

BACKGROUND: Within occupational therapy, it is assumed that individuals are satisfied when participating in everyday occupations that they want to do. However, there is little empirical evidence to show this. AIMS: The aim of this study is to explore and describe the relation between satisfaction and participation in everyday occupations in a Swedish cohort, 5 years post stroke. METHODS: Sixty-nine persons responded to the Occupational Gaps Questionnaire (OGQ). The questionnaire measures subjective restrictions in participation, i.e. the discrepancy between doing and wanting to do 30 different occupations in everyday life, and satisfaction per activity. Results were analysed with McNemar/chi-square. RESULTS: Seventy percent of the persons perceived participation restrictions. Individuals that did not perceive restrictions in their participation had a significantly higher level of satisfaction (p = .002) compared to those that had restrictions. Participants that performed activities that they wanted to do report between 79 and 100% satisfaction per activity. CONCLUSION: In this cohort, there was a significant association between satisfaction and participating in everyday occupations one wants to do, showing that satisfaction is an important aspect of participation and substantiates a basic assumption within occupational therapy. The complexity of measuring satisfaction and participation in everyday occupations is discussed.

Return to work after stroke: Important aspects shared and contrasted by five stakeholder groups.

BACKGROUND: Poor co-operation between the various stakeholders underscores the need for reviewing important factors that facilitate return to work (RTW) after stroke. OBJECTIVE: To explore and describe important aspects expressed by Swedish stakeholders in the RTW process for persons post stroke and to contrast the stakeholders' aspects exploring different perspectives that may influence optimal RTW. METHODS: Data from seven focus group interviews with the stakeholders were analyzed using qualitative content analysis. RESULTS: Three main categories made up the findings; the prolonged RTW process, the need for extended knowledge, and the assessment of work ability in the RTW process. Despite the stakeholders' agreement on these important aspects, they presented divergent views of the categories, representing their diverse agendas. CONCLUSIONS: A stroke coordinator may remediate the stakeholders' divergent perspectives. The coordinator should be versed in stroke specific knowledge and in a person centered approach to inform the decision process regarding RTW, while finding optimal solutions within regulatory boundary conditions. A coordinator could increase collaboration of the various stakeholders, provide support and coordinate services for the client with stroke and the employer throughout the whole process facilitating RTW after stroke. Future studies are needed to confirm this proposal.

Participation in everyday life and life satisfaction in persons with stroke and their caregivers 3-6 months after onset.

OBJECTIVE: To explore and describe persons with stroke and their caregivers' restrictions in participation in everyday occupations, i.e. occupational gaps, 3-6 months post-stroke, in relation to life satisfaction, combined life satisfaction, care-giver burden, perceived impact of stroke, and activities of daily living. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. SUBJECTS: Persons with stroke and their caregivers (105 dyads). METHODS: The Occupational Gaps Questionnaire, Life Satisfaction Checklist, Caregiver Burden Scale, Stroke Impact Scale and Barthel Index were used. Correlations were analysed with Spearman's rank, and regression analyses used life satisfaction as the dependent variable. RESULTS: At least one person in 86% of the dyads perceived restrictions in participation, with the most common gap in travelling for pleasure. Correlations were low between the numbers of occupational gaps and life satisfaction (R = -0.33, R = -0.31); however, life satisfaction accounted for occupational gaps both for persons with stroke and for caregivers. A greater number of occupational gaps were perceived in the dyads with combined low levels of life satisfaction compared with those with combined high levels of life satisfaction. CONCLUSION: Participation in everyday occupations is related to life satisfaction even for caregivers of persons with stroke. The results of this study add to our knowledge about the stroke-caregiver dyad and will help to inform family-centred approaches within stroke rehabilitation.

Complex negotiations: the lived experience of enacting agency after a stroke.

OBJECTIVE: This qualitative, longitudinal, descriptive study aimed to understand the lived experience of enacting agency, and to describe the phenomenon of agency and the meaning structure of the phenomenon during the year after a stroke. Agency is defined as making things happen in everyday life through one's actions. METHODS: This study followed six persons (three men and three women, ages 63 to 89), interviewed on four separate occasions. Interview data were analysed using the Empirical Phenomenological Psychological method. RESULTS: The main findings showed that the participants experienced enacting agency in their everyday lives after stroke as negotiating different characteristics over a span of time, a range of difficulty, and in a number of activities, making these negotiations complex. The four characteristics described how the participants made things happen in their everyday lives through managing their disrupted bodies, taking into account their past and envisioning their futures, dealing with the world outside themselves, and negotiating through internal dialogues. CONCLUSIONS: This empirical evidence regarding negotiations challenges traditional definitions of agency and a new definition of agency is proposed. Understanding clients' complex negotiations and offering innovative solutions to train in real-life situations may help in the process of enabling occupations after a stroke.

Perceived occupational gaps one year after stroke: an explorative study.

OBJECTIVE: To explore and describe factors associated with occupational gaps and to identify factors at 3 months that predict occupational gaps one year post-stroke. A gap, a restriction in participation, is considered to be present when there is a discrepancy between what the individual wants to do and what they actually do in everyday life. DESIGN: Prospective longitudinal study. SUBJECTS: Two hundred persons with stroke. METHODS: Data from the Occupational Gaps Questionnaire, one year post-stroke, was used as the dependent variable in 3- and 12-month regression analyses. Domains of the Stroke Impact Scale, global life satisfaction, demographic and medical factors were used as independent variables. RESULTS: At 3 months, activities of daily living abilities, social participation and not being born in Sweden predicted occupational gaps at 12 months. Stroke severity and not being born in Sweden and 3 factors at 12 months: social participation, self-rated recovery, and global life satisfaction were associated with occupational gaps. CONCLUSION: Activities of daily living ability at 3 months predicted occupational gaps after stroke. Thus, it is possible to identify early on, and provide interventions for, those that risk participation restrictions. Not being born in the country might be an indicator of a risk for participation restrictions.

Combined life satisfaction of persons with stroke and their caregivers: associations with caregiver burden and the impact of stroke.

BACKGROUND: Little is known about the life satisfaction of the person with stroke combined with their caregiver, i.e. the dyad, despite the fact that life satisfaction is an important rehabilitation outcome. The aim of this study was to describe the dyads combined life satisfaction and to understand this in relationship to the perceived impact of stroke in everyday life and caregiver burden. METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, the life satisfaction of persons and their informal caregivers was measured in 81 dyads one year post stroke. Their global life satisfaction, measured with LiSat-11, was combined to a dyad score and the dyads were then categorized as satisfied, dissatisfied or discordant. The groups were compared and analyzed regarding levels of caregiver burden, measured with the Caregiver Burden scale, and the perceived impact of stroke in everyday life, measured with the Stroke Impact Scale (SIS). RESULTS: The satisfied dyads comprised 40%, dissatisfied 26% and those that were discordant 34%. The satisfied dyads reported a significantly lower impact of the stroke in everyday life compared with the dyads that were not satisfied. As expected, dyads that were not satisfied reported a significantly greater caregiver burden compared with the satisfied dyads. The discordant group was further broken down into a group of dissatisfied and satisfied caregivers. The caregivers that were not satisfied in the discordant group perceived a significantly greater level of caregiver burden compared with the satisfied group. Even caregivers who were satisfied with life but whose care recipients were not satisfied reported caregiver burden. CONCLUSIONS: Measuring combined life satisfaction provides a unique focus and appears to be a feasible way of attaining the dyads' perspective. The findings suggest that those dyads with a discordant life satisfaction could be vulnerable because of the caregivers' reported caregiver burden. These findings support the importance of a dyadic perspective and add to the understanding of the reciprocal influences between the caregiver and recipient. This knowledge has clinical implications and contributes to the identification of possible vulnerable dyads in need of tailored support.

Evaluation of manual wheelchairs by individuals with spinal cord injuries.

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to investigate how adults with spinal cord injury assess their satisfaction regarding various aspects and use of their manual wheelchair. METHOD: The Quebec User Evaluation of Satisfaction with Assistive Technology (QUEST 2.0) together with seven additional questions was sent to 205 adults with SCI. RESULTS: One hundred and twenty-four responses were available. The QUEST 2.0 showed a high level of satisfaction with manual wheelchair properties. However, the respondents were less satisfied with the services offered. Ease of use and comfort were identified as most important. Eighty-nine percent of the respondents rated their level of satisfaction as 'quite satisfied' or 'very satisfied' in ease of using a manual wheelchair compared with 68% of the respondents that were 'quite satisfied' or 'very satisfied' with the level of comfort. A greater satisfaction of ease in propulsion indoors compared with sitting comfort in various activities was found. CONCLUSIONS: A discrepancy was shown between users not being as satisfied with comfort in sitting in various activities opposed to satisfaction with propulsion. This indicates the need for increased knowledge and developments concerning individual solutions, incorporating comfort as well as ease of use of a manual wheelchair.