Perceptions of power-assist devices: interviews with manual wheelchair users.

Participants' perceptions about PADs varied across different types of devices and in different contexts. However, PADs were generally perceived as enhancing the capabilities of MWCs. Our findings provide insight into the factors that can be considered when selecting a PAD and can inform the development of future PADs that are better equipped to overcome challenges that MWC users frequently encounter.Implications for RehabilitationPower-assist devices (PADs) for manual wheelchairs (MWCs) have the potential to improve the mobility, community participation and well-being of users.Some of the existing PADs have safety and reliability issues that affect their performance and limit their use by MWC users.The three types of PADs (front-mounted attachments, rear-mounted attachments, powered wheels) offer different types of assistance that can benefit users with various capabilities.