Biomedical Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
L E
h
e
t he
T
i r
MATCH OF
PERSON
&
TECHNOLOGY
T
O
RA
S
FIgUre 6.1
MPT model: Influences to consider when trying to achieve a good match of person and cognitive support tech-
nology. See color Figure 3.1.
when the setting changes. Thus, when there is a change in AT (e.g., different Smartphone
or augmentive and alternative communication device), the individual's progress can be
affected. This is why this is a cycle and not a one-time assessment. One means of assessing
a consumer's perspective of technology use is to have individuals rate their difficulties as
well as prioritize their own desired outcomes and progress over time in achieving them.
This is the system used in the MPT process (Scherer 1998, 2005), Although individual
needs may vary, it is possible to develop standard guidelines to ensure that individual
needs and preferences are identified. The MPT assessment process offers one such stan-
dard approach. It emerged from a grounded theory research study (Scherer 1986) and has
been operationalized by an assessment process consisting of several measures. The items
differentiate characteristics of the actual experiences of users and nonusers and they have
held up well in additional research studies (Scherer and Sax 2010).
The MPT assessment measures are idiographic and person-focused. They can be used as
an interview guide or the consumer can complete the forms independently on paper or on
a computer. Assessments range from a quick screen to specialized evaluations (completed
in approximately 15 min) to a comprehensive evaluation (completed in approximately 45
min) by someone trained and experienced in their use. The specific steps, with accompa-
nying measures, are shown in Table 6.1. Samples of the actual user forms can be found at
http://matchingpersonandtechnology.com.
