An exploration of the experiences of Brazilian hemiplegic manual wheelchair users

AbstractPurpose: The objective of this research was to explore the experiences of 11 hemiplegic users with their manual wheelchairs.Method: The phenomenological approach explored the subjective experiences of Brazilian hemiplegic manual wheelchair users in order to identify and describe the factors that affected their relationship with their wheelchair. Using in depth semistructured interviews. The data were analysed using thematic analysis. The health records from the physiotherapy service of the Health Department of Itajai were reviewed to identify hemiplegic wheelchair users.Results: The results identified 4 key themes: heteronomy, inadequate/inappropriateness of wheelchair design, poor state of the pavements and roads prohibiting wheelchair use and lack of suitable wheelchair provision.Conclusion: The findings confirm that current manual wheelchair provision, both new and secondhand, for this group of users is inadequate and they highlighted the issues and problems arising from the current provision. ...