Women Veterans and mobility aids

Abstract: Objective: To conduct a needs assessment to learn about women Veterans’ needs, priorities, preferences, and experiences with mobility assistive technology (MAT). Design: Cross-sectional survey study. Setting: National survey. Participants: Women veterans (age, ≥18y) receiving care from the Veterans Health Administration who received MAT in the last 5 years participated in an online survey (N=700). Interventions: None. Main Outcome Measures: The survey included questions regarding demographics, experiences with procurement, evaluation, and follow-up for MAT, and ability to participate in various activities. Results: Seven hundred women veterans responded to the online survey but due to missing responses only 593 surveys were analyzed. The most commonly used MAT included canes (26%), walkers (24%), and manual or power wheelchairs (29%). Activities for which their assistive mobility device did not meet their needs included housework (26%), leisure (22%), and social activities (19%). Some women veterans identified challenges with their device related to the design and lack of options when choosing a device. Although a majority of veterans reported positive feedback in procuring their MAT, there were opportunities for improvement in follow-up. Conclusions: Approximately 1 out of 5 women indicated that their devices did not meet some of their needs. The unique needs of women veterans should be considered during the design and provision of MAT, and education should be provided on maintenance of the MAT. Future research is warranted to develop possible solutions for these gaps with the goal of improving women veterans’ experiences and function related to MAT.