Hybrid Course on Wheelchair
Securement for Nursing
The ISWP staff attended all meetings and distributed agendas and minutes to the HSC. Meetings
were videotaped and distributed to members. YBM, a core team member, has extensive experience
in course and curriculum development. She also has clinical wheelchairs experience. She was
the primary developer of the Hybrid Course, and other co-authors provided advice and guidance.
The Hybrid Course was approved by the HSC in February 2016.
Hybrid course on wheelchair securement
The Hybrid Course on Wheelchair Securement for Nursing is a curriculum developed by the
University of Pittsburgh's academic directors to teach staff about safe and secure handling of
wheelchairs. Its design follows the principles of knowledge translation and stakeholder engagement.
Participants receive a flyer that includes a brief description of the course, the inclusion criteria, and
the schedule. The flyer also contains contact information for the primary author.
The course was developed by an international stakeholder group to improve the skills of healthcare
professionals who provide care to wheelchair users. The Hybrid Course met quality standards in two
of three evaluations and proved to be effective in increasing basic knowledge of wheelchair
securement. The course is mobile-friendly and reduces in-person training exposure from five to three
and a half days. This makes the Hybrid Course more convenient and less costly.
The introductory module of the Hybrid Course provided an overview of the subject matter, the
audience, prerequisites, and instructional materials. It explained how to navigate through Adobe
Captivate modules. The Introductory module was hosted at ISWP's website and distributed through
an external link. Each online module included learning objectives aligned with the WHO WSTP-B. In
this way, participants' knowledge was further enhanced and their clinical practice improved.
The Hybrid Course on Wheelchair Securement for Nursing is a two-part process. It focuses on the
practical aspects of wheelchair securement. The participants must have experience in wheelchair
use and physical fitness. They should also have a similar physical condition and experience. The
participants were grouped according to their weight and height. Then, the subjects were tested using
a questionnaire to determine the amount of circumferential force applied to the pushrim during
repulsion.
Online component
There is a need for quality training in providing wheelchair service to patients with physical and
mental disabilities. Unfortunately, wheelchair service provision is underdeveloped around the world,
and people in developing countries often rely on donated wheelchairs that are often of poor quality
or not customized for the environment. This issue is not only limited to wheelchairs, however; health
and rehabilitation professionals need to receive the proper training to provide high-quality wheelchair
service. However, the content of training in wheelchair service is inconsistent and underdeveloped in
many countries. To solve these problems, the World Health Organization has developed a
standardized training package that includes information on wheelchair service provision.
The length of wheelchair-related education varies, but is usually reported as 35 to 40 hours. WHO
wheelchair-related education represents the standard developed by experts around the world, and
represents the WHO's recommended education timeframe. This duration was determined by
launching outreach campaigns and conducting satisfaction surveys with students. The WHO
wheelchair-related education course is highly recommended for nurses, as it includes guidelines for
caregivers as well as students.
In-person component
The in-person component of a wheelchair safety course focuses on patient positioning and transfer.
The nursing guidelines for patient positioning and transfer require one health care provider to explain
the procedures in a step-by-step fashion. In addition to explaining the transfer process, the patient is
encouraged to participate in the procedure by asking questions and offering assistance if needed. To
transfer a patient from bed to wheelchair, the nursing guidelines suggest that the patient is placed on
a firm side and their arms are wrapped around the caregiver's neck.
The caregiver should always be aware of the surrounding environment and demonstrate the proper
use of call lights. Hospital beds should have sturdy handrails and be at a comfortable height for
transferring or resting. Wheelchair wheel locks should be locked when stationary. Lastly, patients
and caregivers should always wear non-slip footwear, use supplemental lighting, and lock their
wheelchair wheels. Taking these precautions will prevent a patient from slipping or falling and may
also reduce the risk of back injury to the caregiver.
Evaluation of Hybrid Course
The evaluation of hybrid courses aims to determine whether students are satisfied with the degree
program and its overall quality. Although students' satisfaction was generally high, some aspects
were found lacking. In particular, the qualitative data indicated that clear communication between
instructors and staff was important. This helped students understand the requirements of both
in-person and online courses. Instructors also needed to be explicit about how long the in-person
sessions would last.
The hybrid format was designed to accommodate participants who could not attend the traditional
multiday classroom review course. The goal was to increase the number of occupational health
nurses in Federal Region X, primarily served by the Northwest Center for Occupational Health and
Safety, who can take the course at their own pace. The evaluation also provided information on the
effectiveness of the hybrid course in ensuring that it meets the objectives. Hybrid courses also have
the potential to be cost-effective. Furthermore, they are convenient. In addition to reducing the travel
costs of participants, hybrid courses can help a nurse to learn at their own pace.
The evaluation of the hybrid course also demonstrated that students gained similar understanding of
concepts in online and in-person courses. Students' confidence in meeting learning objectives
increased from the start to the end of the semester. The majority of students were happy with the
overall learning experience and felt that the course improved their understanding of key concepts.
Students were also satisfied with the quality of the courses. They were able to apply the knowledge
they gained through the course in practice.
A hybrid course is not a one-size-fits-all solution. Instructors should consider a range of factors and
consider how different students learn best. The evaluation of a hybrid course must take into account
the specifics of each institution. The hybrid format should be well-designed, but instructors should
have flexible learning strategies. They should also be open to feedback and support from the
learners. This approach is particularly useful for students who are unsure about the hybrid format.
Impact on scores on ISWP test
The aim of this study was to determine the impact of a wheelchair safety course on the test scores of
nurses. The course was based on a validated ISWP Wheelchair Service Provision Basic Test.
Graduate students in the Rehabilitation Sciences field were enrolled in an English Hybrid Course.
Participants completed a list of pre-assessments, recitations, and discussions. The training included
3.5 days of in-person sessions.
The researchers conducted a study to evaluate the impact of the wheelchair safety course on trainee
satisfaction and basic knowledge. The Hybrid Course was evaluated on a group of wheelchair
service providers in Medellin, Colombia. The results showed statistically significant effects on the
ISWP Wheelchair Service Provision-Basic Test. The study's reporting was consistent with the
Template for Intervention Description and Replication (TIDR).
The pretest scores were low; 67 percent of participants scored below the passing cutoff of 53 points.
This suggests a need to enhance wheelchair service provision training and promotion. Another
limitation of the study was that the participants self-reported having less than three years of
experience in wheelchair service provision. This could be a result of limited training, including
inadequate rehabilitation training. To ensure that graduates are prepared for this field, integration of
training is necessary.
Participants of the Wheelchair Safety Training Packages underwent 3.5-days of intensive in-person
training in Medellin, Colombia. Local trainers from Universidad CES led the sessions. A total of ten
volunteers were invited to take part as volunteers and five of them participated in a follow-up
practical session. The volunteers received a wheelchair from the trainees.