IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jijerp/v18y2021i19p10477-d650418.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Assistive Technology Provider Experiences during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Author

Listed:
  • Louise Puli

    (Access to Assistive Technology Team, World Health Organization, 1211 Geneva, Switzerland)

  • Natasha Layton

    (Rehabilitation, Ageing and Independent Living Research Centre, Monash University Australia, Clayton 3800, Australia)

  • Daniel Mont

    (Center for Inclusive Policy, Washington, DC 20005, USA)

  • Kylie Shae

    (Access to Assistive Technology Team, World Health Organization, 1211 Geneva, Switzerland)

  • Irene Calvo

    (Access to Assistive Technology Team, World Health Organization, 1211 Geneva, Switzerland)

  • Keith D. Hill

    (Rehabilitation, Ageing and Independent Living Research Centre, Monash University Australia, Clayton 3800, Australia)

  • Libby Callaway

    (Rehabilitation, Ageing and Independent Living Research Centre, Monash University Australia, Clayton 3800, Australia
    Occupational Therapy Department, Monash University Australia, Clayton 3800, Australia)

  • Emma Tebbutt

    (Access to Assistive Technology Team, World Health Organization, 1211 Geneva, Switzerland)

  • Abner Manlapaz

    (Center for Inclusive Policy, Washington, DC 20005, USA)

  • Inge Groenewegen

    (Liliane Fonds, 5211 TX s-Hertogenbosch, The Netherlands)

  • Diana Hiscock

    (HelpAge International, London SE1 7RL, UK)

Abstract

Globally, health systems face challenges in the delivery of assistive technology (AT) and only 10% of people are currently able to access the assistive products they need. The COVID-19 pandemic presented an uncharted path for AT providers to navigate, placing them under pressure to be agile and rapidly adapt. This article, part of a series, explores the experiences and impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on AT providers and aims to inform how AT providers can be better prepared and supported in the future. A mixed methods approach was used to gather service data and perspectives from AT providers via a survey. A total of 37 responses were received from 18 countries. Service data showed extensive service disruption throughout 2020. Thematic analysis suggested significant changes to routine AT service delivery including rapid momentum towards home-based, decentralised, and digital services for which many AT providers were not prepared. Providers were required to make difficult decisions and deliver services in new ways to balance meeting demands, complying with government restrictions, and ensuring the safety of staff and clients. Few but important positives were expressed including the belief that expanded capacity to use remote and digital AT service delivery would remain useful in the future.

Suggested Citation

  • Louise Puli & Natasha Layton & Daniel Mont & Kylie Shae & Irene Calvo & Keith D. Hill & Libby Callaway & Emma Tebbutt & Abner Manlapaz & Inge Groenewegen & Diana Hiscock, 2021. "Assistive Technology Provider Experiences during the COVID-19 Pandemic," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(19), pages 1-20, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:18:y:2021:i:19:p:10477-:d:650418
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/18/19/10477/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/18/19/10477/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Sureshkumar Kamalakannan & Sutanuka Bhattacharjya & Yelena Bogdanova & Christina Papadimitriou & Juan Carlos Arango-Lasprilla & Jacob Bentley & Tiago S. Jesus & Refugee Empowerment Task Force, Interna, 2021. "Health Risks and Consequences of a COVID-19 Infection for People with Disabilities: Scoping Review and Descriptive Thematic Analysis," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(8), pages 1-17, April.
    2. Silvia Faccioli & Francesco Lombardi & Pierantonio Bellini & Stefania Costi & Silvia Sassi & Maria Cristina Pesci, 2021. "How Did Italian Adolescents with Disability and Parents Deal with the COVID-19 Emergency?," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(4), pages 1-13, February.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Daniel Mont & Natasha Layton & Louise Puli & Shivani Gupta & Abner Manlapaz & Kylie Shae & Emma Tebbutt & Irene Calvo & Mahpekay Sidiqy & Kudakwashe Dube & Ulamila Kacilala, 2021. "Assistive Technology during the COVID-19 Global Pandemic: The Roles of Government and Civil Society in Fulfilling the Social Contract," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(22), pages 1-15, November.
    2. Natasha Layton & Daniel Mont & Louise Puli & Irene Calvo & Kylie Shae & Emma Tebbutt & Keith D. Hill & Libby Callaway & Diana Hiscock & Abner Manlapaz & Inge Groenewegen & Mahpekai Sidiqi, 2021. "Access to Assistive Technology during the COVID-19 Global Pandemic: Voices of Users and Families," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(21), pages 1-23, October.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Natasha Layton & Daniel Mont & Louise Puli & Irene Calvo & Kylie Shae & Emma Tebbutt & Keith D. Hill & Libby Callaway & Diana Hiscock & Abner Manlapaz & Inge Groenewegen & Mahpekai Sidiqi, 2021. "Access to Assistive Technology during the COVID-19 Global Pandemic: Voices of Users and Families," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(21), pages 1-23, October.
    2. Aureliusz Andrzej Kosendiak & Michał Piotr Wysocki & Paweł Piotr Krysiński, 2022. "Lifestyle, Physical Activity and Dietary Habits of Medical Students of Wroclaw Medical University during the COVID-19 Pandemic," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(12), pages 1-17, June.
    3. Sara Paltrinieri & Barbara Bressi & Elisa Mazzini & Stefania Fugazzaro & Ermanno Rondini & Paolo Giorgi Rossi & Stefania Costi, 2023. "Activities Carried Out during the First COVID-19 Lockdown by Italian Citizens," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(5), pages 1-16, February.
    4. Victoria Austin & Cathy Holloway & Ignacia Ossul Vermehren & Abs Dumbuya & Giulia Barbareschi & Julian Walker, 2021. "“Give Us the Chance to Be Part of You, We Want Our Voices to Be Heard”: Assistive Technology as a Mediator of Participation in (Formal and Informal) Citizenship Activities for Persons with Disabilitie," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(11), pages 1-30, May.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:18:y:2021:i:19:p:10477-:d:650418. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.