Date of Award

2024

Document Type

Scholarly Project

Degree Name

Doctor of Occupational Therapy (OTD)

Department

Occupational Therapy

First Advisor

Jane Loscheider

Abstract

Background: Assistive technology (AT) plays a vital role in the health, well-being, independence, and quality of life of individuals with a broad range of occupational challenges (American Occupational Therapy Association, 2016; Grajo & Boisselle, 2018; World Health Organization, 2023). Occupational therapists (OTs) and other AT providers can influence the accessibility and usability of AT; however, providers face barriers with limited access to training and evidence-based practice, impacting their confidence in providing AT services (Demain et al., 2013; Dishman et al., 2021; Long et al., 2007; Manship et al., 2023). These barriers can cause feelings of incompetence and reluctance to recommend AT, ultimately causing an underutilization of AT (Long et al., 2007; Manship et al., 2023; Van Niekerk et al., 2018). The purpose of this scholarly project was to create an evidence-based and user-friendly toolkit for organizing and sharing AT resources among OTs and AT professionals to increase competence in providing AT services across practice settings.

Methodology: A needs assessment, including an extensive literature review and interviews with the partnering facility, was conducted to understand the barriers and support of AT. The project was guided by the Ecology of Human Performance (EHP) model to holistically understand the person, context, and task factors involved in the provision of AT services (Dunn, 2017).

Product: An AT toolkit was designed using a web-based document-sharing platform called Microsoft SharePoint. The product will be used by the assistive technology team at the partnering facility to consolidate AT resources and keep track of technological advancements. Therapists within the partnering organization will have access to the AT resources within the toolkit to guide their recommendations and training for clients and caregivers.

Implications: The use of an electronic AT platform for education and training resources enables OTs to quickly and confidently access evidence-based AT information to help meet the unique needs of the individuals they serve. By improving the clinician's confidence, they can make more frequent and effective AT recommendations promoting increased opportunities for improved occupational performance among AT users.

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