Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation

Feasibility of an Interactive Video-Based Training Program for Learning and Reviewing Walking Aid Skills

Objectives: To assess the feasibility of a trial with a novel interactive video-based mobile application to teach safe walking aid use. To explore the preliminary effect of the novel application on balance confidence, balance, mobility, and endurance.

Design: Single-arm, pre-post feasibility study.

Setting: University research laboratory. Participants: Adult walking aid users (N=13). Interventions: Participants used the novel application’s fitting and gait training modules pertaining to their walking aid on 2 occasions (baseline, 2wks).

Main Outcome Measures: Trial feasibility indicators were collected for process (recruitment rate, consent rate, and retention rate), resources (duration of each data collection session), management (participant processing time), and safety. At baseline and at 2 weeks, participants completed the Activities-specific Balance Confidence (ABC) Scale, the Berg Balance Scale (BBS), the timed Up and Go (TUG), and the 2-Minute Walk Test (2MWT).

Results: Thirteen walking aid users (7 men; mean § SD age: 55§15y; mean § SD duration of walking aid use: 2.7§4.0y) participated. Feasibility was attained on 3 of the 6 trial feasibility indicators. Participants achieved statistically significant improvements in balance confidence (ABC; small to medium effect; P<.001) and balance (BBS; small effect; P<.001). Participants did not experience significant changes in mobility (TUG; no effect) or endurance (2MWT; small effect; P=.25).

Maureen M. O’Brien, MSc, Krista L. Best, PhD, Cheryl Barnabe, MD, MSc, Fran¸ cois Routhier, PEng, PhD, William C. Miller, PhD,
Ranita Harpreet Kaur Manocha, MD, MScb, From the aGraduate Science, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta; Hotchkiss Brain Institute, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta; McCaig Institute for Bone and Joint Health, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta; dSchool of Rehabilitation Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Universite Laval, Laval, Quebec; Centre for Interdisciplinary
Research in Rehabilitation and Social Integration, Centre integre universitaire de sante et de services sociaux de la Capitale-Nationale, Quebec City, Quebec; Department of Community Health Sciences, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta; gDepartment of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy, University of British Columbia, British Columbia, Victoria, Canada; and hDivision of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta.