Worldwide Survey on Digital Assistive Technology (DAT) Provision.
Isabel Margot-Cattin, Anne Deblock-Bellamy, Julie Wassmer and 3 others
PMID 38351981WHAT IT FOUND
Occupational therapists mostly provide digital assistive technology as part of broader intervention, with cost and knowledge as key barriers.
This is self-reported practice, not evidence of effectiveness.
Key findings
01Most respondents provided digital assistive technology as one aspect of broader intervention rather than as their sole work.
02Cost was the main barrier reported, and most DAT provision happened when products and services were free to users.
03Respondents reported client satisfaction of 82.9% and their own self-efficiency of 80.5% in DAT provision.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for OTs
Read the rest of this summary
You get three full summaries a month, free, and we do not ask for a card. Search, the TL;DRs and your library stay unlimited either way.
What it does not show
The sample was recruited through WFOT channels and was not representative of the global occupational therapy community. The survey was online for approximately 1 month and was linked to a WFOT Congress incentive, which may have shaped who responded. Respondents were mostly from Western countries, and countries from Africa or South America were not represented enough, so the survey does not show situations where the digital divide is prominent. The findings are self-reported practice and satisfaction, not tested outcomes or comparisons of DAT effectiveness.
Declared interests
The survey was created by WFOT in collaboration with Logitech SA, a Swiss company that designs digital products and had an interest in DAT product design. Logitech offered an incentive in which each participant added $5 to a WFOT fund for occupational therapists from low-income countries to attend a conference.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read this as evidence that DAT works or that OTs can close access gaps. It is a self-reported survey of occupational therapists recruited through WFOT channels, and the authors state the sample may not represent global practice.