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Seating simulator for remote assessment

In the spring of 2000, the BC Children's Hospital Foundation Telethon funded many projects designed with the goals of improving care and the quality of life for children.
 
One funded project is "Seating Simulator for Remote Assessment". The goals of this project are to increase the accessibility of children and families throughout the province to custom wheelchair seating services, and to provide outreach seating services more efficiently. In operation, the project calls on two technologies; a multi-adjustable wheelchair assessment seat and telehealth.

The seating simulator is designed for use by therapists throughout the province. It is adjustable to accommodate a variety of children and to provide a range of possible seated positions for each child. The therapist can monitor the seated posture for suitability and then measure the child for a custom wheelchair seating system.

Remote data collection saves time for the child, family and seating team when they meet at an outreach seating clinic by facilitating preparation of seating systems ahead of time, and the measure of effectiveness for this project is the amount of time saved.

Video teleconferencing ensures the support of Sunny Hill's seating team for the local therapist's assessment, providing real-time participation in the assessment and a video record of the process.
Development and construction of the simulator continued through 2002. In the spring of 2003 a prototype was completed and it is being assessed at Sunny Hill initially for effectiveness as the supporting documentation for the seating simulator's remote use is prepared.

Personnel
Primary Investigator: Dave Cooper
Co-Investigator: David Jordan
For additional information: David Jordan