Assessing women veterans’ satisfaction with mobility devices

Introduction This study aimed to assess women Veterans’ satisfaction with their primary mobility device and the related services they received. Methods Women Veterans who received a mobility device in the past 5 years from the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) completed an online survey containing the Quebec User Evaluation of Satisfaction with Assistive Technology (QUEST) about their primary mobility device. Scores were analyzed using descriptive statistics while open-ended comments were analyzed using inductive thematic analysis. Results 571 out of 4078 (14%) invited women completed a sufficient portion (>75%) of the QUEST. They reported high levels of satisfaction with their devices and services received (>4 out of 5 indicating ‘quite’ to ‘very’ satisfied). Despite this finding around 80% of the women left comments related to discontent with their device. Main and sub-themes that were consistent across all devices included equipment issues (mechanical design, lack of features or customizability, poor quality components/material), physical and psychological impacts of the device, usability issues, and unmet service needs (lack of efficiency, lack of quality, issues with service providers and lack of access). Discussion Women-centered design and delivery of mobility devices should be prioritized. Opportunities exist for VHA to make improvements within several areas in the service and provision process.