Assessing Women Veterans" Needs for Mobility Devices

由美国退伍军人协会提供服务的女性退伍军人人数显著增加 退伍军人健康管理局(VA)在过去30年中，这一数字预计将 继续增长。需要移动设备(即拐杖、助行器、 轮椅、滑板车)由于受伤、疾病和老龄化也有所增加。然而，人们对此知之甚少 关于退伍军人对移动设备的需求。有一些有限的 女性对设计、合身和舒适性有顾虑并希望获得更多信息的信息 参与未来设备的开发。此外，公法114-223,2016年颁布 特别指出，退伍军人管理局应确保拨出足够的研究经费用于 专门针对女性退伍军人的假肢研究。 这个项目的目的是进行需求评估，以了解女性退伍军人的 有关移动设备的需求。我们的具体目标是： 1)确定需要/使用移动设备来评估其访问的女性退伍军人， 与这些设备相关的需求、优先顺序、偏好和体验；以及 2)评估与女性退伍军人的移动设备有关的需求和优先事项 从退伍军人管理局主要利益攸关方的角度确定的问题的可能解决方案。 这项研究将利用在线调查来评估女性退伍军人的获取途径、需求、优先事项、 移动设备的首选项和体验。所有拥有移动设备的女性退伍军人 将被邀请参加。一小群志愿服务的女退伍军人也将完成 与项目工作人员进行更深入的访谈，提供更详细的经验。结果将是 与国家退伍军人管理局主要利益相关者分享妇女健康、假体、安全和 关于女退伍军人的需求、障碍和可能的解决办法的康复 讨论过。会议的结果将是一套关于如何解决退伍军人女性问题的建议 与移动设备相关的需求。

There has been a significant growth in the number of women Veterans that are served by the Veterans Health Administration (VA) in the past 30 years, and this number is expected to continue to grow. The number of women who require mobility devices (i.e., canes, walkers, wheelchairs, scooters) due to injury, disease and aging has also increased. Yet, little is known about what needs women Veterans have related to mobility devices. There is some limited information that women have concerns about design, fit and comfort and would like to be more involved in the development of future devices. Further, Public Law 114-223, published in 2016 specifically noted that VA should ensure that sufficient research dollars are appropriated for prosthetic research specific to women Veterans. The purpose of this project is to conduct a needs assessment to learn about women Veterans’ needs regarding mobility devices. Our specific aims are to: 1) Identify women Veterans who require/use mobility devices to assess their access to, needs, priorities, preferences and experiences related to these devices; and 2) To assess needs and priorities related to mobility devices for women Veterans and possible solutions for the issues identified from the perspectives of key VA stakeholders. This study will utilize an on-line survey to assess women Veterans’ access, needs, priorities, preferences and experiences with mobility devices. All women Veterans with mobility devices will be invited to participate. A small group of women Veterans who volunteer will also complete more in-depth interviews with project staff to provide more detailed experiences. Results will be shared with key national VA stakeholders in women’s health, prosthetics, safety, and rehabilitation regarding women Veterans’ needs, barriers and possible solutions will be discussed. The result will be a set of recommendations on how to address women Veterans’ needs related to mobility devices.