Paula W. Rushton, William C. Miller, R. Lee Kirby, Janice J. Eng
Rehabilitation Sciences Graduate Program, University of British Columbia, T325 - 2211 Wesbrook Mall, Vancouver, British Columbia, V6T 2B5, Canada
DOI: 10.2340/16501977-1069

Objective: To evaluate the measurement properties of the Wheelchair Use Confidence Scale for manual wheelchair users version 2. 1 (WheelCon-M 2. 1).
Design: Cohort study.
Participants: Volunteer sample of 83 community-dwelling, experienced manual wheelchair users.
Methods: Participants completed the WheelCon-M 2. 1 twice to assess retest reliability. Validity was assessed by evaluating hypothesized relationships between the WheelCon-M 2. 1 and relevant variables. Responsiveness was assessed using the standard error of measurement (SEM) and smallest real difference (SRD).
Results: The median (interquartile range) WheelCon-M 2. 1 score was 84. 6 (71. 3–92. 0) of a possible 0–100. The one-week retest intraclass correlation coefficient was 0. 84 with 95% bias-corrected and accelerated confidence intervals of 0. 77–0. 90. Cronbach’s alpha was 0. 92. Correlations ranging from rs = –0. 19 (p = 0. 780) to rs = 0. 58 (p < 0. 001) were found between the WheelCon-M 2. 1 and other relevant outcome measures with all correlations being statistically significant except for age (p = 0. 780) and social support (p = 0. 057). A statistically significant difference was not found between the sexes (p = 0. 140). The SEM and SRM were 5. 9 and 16. 4, respectively.
Conclusions: WheelCon-M 2. 1 has high internal consistency, strong retest reliability, and support for concurrent validity, construct validity and responsiveness. This new test holds promise as a clinical and research tool.