Biomedical Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
3
Measuring
the Assistive Technology Match
F. Corradi, M. J. Scherer, and A. Lo Presti
CONTENTS
3.1 Introduction .......................................................................................................................... 49
3.2 Measuring the Assistive Technology Match .................................................................... 51
3.2.1 The ICF and Other Outcome Measures ................................................................ 51
3.2.2 The Matching Person and Technology Model ..................................................... 52
3.2.3 The MPT Process and Measures ............................................................................ 55
3.2.4 The MPT Model and the ICF .................................................................................. 58
3.2.5 Different Versions of Matching Person and Technology ................................... 58
3.3 The Assistive Technology Assessment Process ............................................................... 58
3.3.1 The ATA Process in the Center for Technical Aid and in the
Rehabilitation Project .............................................................................................. 60
3.4 The MPT and the Assistive Technology Assessment Process ...................................... 61
3.5 Conclusions ........................................................................................................................... 62
Summary of the Chapter .............................................................................................................. 62
References ....................................................................................................................................... 63
3.1 Introduction
The World Health Organization (WHO) Disability and Rehabilitation Action Plan 2006-
2011 (2006) reports that approximately 10% of the world's population experiences some
form of temporary or permanent disability. This document highlights that assistive tech-
nology (AT) may be a helpful aid for people with disabilities “to increase their level of inde-
pendence in their daily living and to exercise their rights” (WHO 2006, p. 5). To achieve
this goal, it is necessary to further the development, production, distribution, and support
to use AT. In particular, the aims of the WHO are to
• Support member states to develop national policies on AT;
• Support member states to train personnel at various levels in the ield of AT,
especially in prosthetics and orthotics; and
• Promote research on assistive technology and facilitate transfer of technology.
W HO's
World Report on Disability
(2011) affirms this commitment.
Different studies show an average rate of approximately 30% of abandonment of AT
within the first year of use, realizing that rates vary depending on the type of AT (Philips
and Zhao 1993; Scherer 1998; Kittel et al. 2002; Scherer et al. 2004, 2005; Dijcks et al. 2006).
A recent study (Federici and Borsci 2011) found approximately 25% AT abandonment in a
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