User Perspectives on the Service Delivery of Complex Power Wheelchairs.

The purpose of this study was to explore users' perspectives on power wheelchair service delivery and understand their involvement in the equipment trial and selection process. Five power wheelchair users participated in. Responses and interview data analysis supported four main themes describing variability in the evaluation practices of the provider team, how consumers' participation goals were impacted by equipment usability, consumer involvement in equipment selection influenced satisfaction, and illustrated the complexities in the service delivery process. The conclusion suggests consumer involvement in the trial and selection process may contribute to power wheelchair outcome usability, satisfaction, and occupational engagement.

Creating an Interprofessional Collaborative Research Opportunity for Physical and Occupational Therapy Students.

Physical therapy (PT) and occupational therapy (OT) professional associations assert the importance that entry-level therapists learn and apply the knowledge and skills necessary for interprofessional collaborative practice; however, the majority of PT and OT programs do not have the other discipline at their university. A challenge exists for the creation of a transparent active learning opportunity promoting interprofessional student engagement when the two professions do not reside in the same university. This case study provides a model for how to feasibly create an interprofessional experience for students in universities that do not include a complementary or collaborative allied health professional program, using various technologies. While creating this collaborative project, we provided opportunities to meet the Interprofessional Education Collaborative's (IPEC) competencies: a) value/ethics for interprofessional practice, b) roles and responsibilities, c) interprofessional communication, and d) teams and teamwork through participation in a breast cancer survivorship research study. Within this demonstration project, the faculty were able to make "micro level" changes to foster interprofessional collaboration among universities with other allied health profession programs, which may lead to improved health outcomes for our clients.