School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, The University of Queensland, Saint Lucia, Australia.
Singapore Institute of Technology, Health and Social Sciences, Singapore, Singapore.
Disabil Rehabil Assist Technol. 2024 Feb;19(2):407-432. doi: 10.1080/17483107.2022.2092223. Epub 2022 Jul 1.
Smartphones have become a core piece of assistive technology (AT) for people with vision impairment (PVI) around the world. This scoping review sought to provide a comprehensive picture of the current evidence base of smartphones for PVI.
Seven electronic databases (CINAHL, Cochrane Library, EMBASE, IEEE Xplore, Scopus, PubMed and Web of Science) were searched for papers published from 2007 to 2021. Peer-reviewed articles published in English which discussed smartphones use by PVI; smartphone technologies designed for PVI or training and learning support on the use of smartphones were included.
There were 16,899 records retrieved and 65 articles were included in this review. The majority (48%) of the papers focussed on developing better interfaces and Apps for PVI. Contrastingly, there was a paucity of papers (5%) discussing training or learning support for PVI to use smartphones and Apps effectively, even though it was highlighted to be important. Proper training will ensure that PVI can use this everyday technology as an AT to increase participation, enhance independence and improve quality of life overall.
The findings highlighted that smartphones and Apps can be used as effective and affordable AT by PVI. The many recent developments and research interest in smartphone technologies can further support its use. However, good training and learning support on the use of smartphones and Apps by PVI, is lacking. Future research should focus on the development, provision and evaluation of evidence based tailored training and support, especially in low- and middle-income countries. Implications for rehabilitationThere is a need for more training and learning support for people with vision impairment (PVI) on the use of smartphones and Apps.Individualized and a graded approach to training has been recommended for PVI to learn to use smartphones.When supporting or training people to use smartphones, the person's level of vision impairment as well as their age, are important considerations.Health professionals should be cognizant of the steep learning curve that some PVI may experience when using smartphones and Apps, especially when they switch from a phone with physical buttons to touchscreen.Certain smartphones features are useful to particular vision loss conditions. For example, zoom and magnification are helpful for those with low vision but text input and output, and commands using speech (e.g., Siri and TalkBack) are useful for those who are blind.
智能手机已成为全球视力障碍者（PVI）辅助技术（AT）的核心组成部分。本范围综述旨在全面了解 PVI 使用智能手机的现有证据基础。
从 2007 年至 2021 年，在七个电子数据库（CINAHL、Cochrane 图书馆、EMBASE、IEEE Xplore、Scopus、PubMed 和 Web of Science）中搜索了已发表的论文。纳入了发表在英文期刊上、讨论 PVI 使用智能手机、为 PVI 设计的智能手机技术或关于使用智能手机的培训和学习支持的同行评审文章。
共检索到 16899 条记录，本综述纳入了 65 篇文章。大多数（48%）论文侧重于为 PVI 开发更好的界面和应用程序。相比之下，仅有少数（5%）论文讨论了对 PVI 进行有效使用智能手机和应用程序的培训或学习支持，尽管这一点被强调很重要。适当的培训将确保 PVI 可以将这项日常技术作为 AT 来增加参与度、提高独立性并全面提高生活质量。
研究结果表明，智能手机和应用程序可以被 PVI 用作有效且经济实惠的 AT。最近对智能手机技术的许多发展和研究兴趣可以进一步支持其使用。但是，缺乏针对 PVI 使用智能手机和应用程序的良好培训和学习支持。未来的研究应侧重于开发、提供和评估基于证据的定制培训和支持，特别是在低收入和中等收入国家。
需要为 PVI 提供更多关于使用智能手机和应用程序的培训和学习支持。建议为 PVI 提供个性化和分级的培训，以学习使用智能手机。在支持或培训人们使用智能手机时，应考虑到使用者的视力障碍程度以及他们的年龄。卫生专业人员应意识到一些 PVI 在使用智能手机和应用程序时可能会遇到陡峭的学习曲线，尤其是当他们从具有物理按钮的手机切换到触摸屏时。某些智能手机功能对特定的视力丧失情况有用。例如，对于低视力者来说，缩放和放大功能很有用，但对于盲人来说，文本输入和输出以及使用语音的命令（例如 Siri 和 TalkBack）很有用。
