Department of Community Medicine, Kodagu Institute of Medical Sciences, Madikeri, Karnataka, India.
Edward and Cynthia Institute of Public Health - Advanced Technical Co-Operation Center with Yenepoya (Deemed to be University), Mangalore, Karnataka, India.
WHO South East Asia J Public Health. 2024 Jan 1;13(1):5-8. doi: 10.4103/WHO-SEAJPH.WHO-SEAJPH_57_23. Epub 2024 Aug 21.
Assistive Technologies (AT), such as hearing aids, walking aids, prostheses, spectacles, can improve the quality of life and enable many to lead dignified lives. The rapid Assistive Technology Assessment (rATA) tool developed by World Health Organization (WHO) can measure the needs of AT and the barriers to accessing them.
This study aimed to measure the unmet needs and the usage of AT via the rATA tool in the coastal state of Karnataka in India.
A population-based survey was conducted among a total of 500 households - 250 from Mangalore and 250 from Udupi of Coastal Karnataka. The need for AT was assessed under six domains of activities, including mobility, seeing, hearing, communication, remembering, and self-care.
The mean age of study participants was 34.3 years with standard deviation of 21.2 years. 30.6% of the study participants reported the use of assistive products out of which 27.3% used one product and 2% used two products. 89.5% of assistive products were procured from private sector and only 4.1% was obtained from public sector. The level of difficulty in doing any activity increased with age. 301 participants reported out of pocket expenditure for assistive products with mean expenditure of Rs 2226.05 (S. D. 2204) per year. Spectacles, orthoses (spinal) and therapeutic footwear were most common assistive products with unmet need.
Our findings highlight the urgent need to mainstream geriatric care policies which address functional difficulties among older people, resolve out-of-pocket spending through public private partnership for assistive technologies.
辅助技术（AT），如助听器、助行器、假肢、眼镜等，可以提高生活质量，使许多人过上有尊严的生活。世界卫生组织（WHO）开发的快速辅助技术评估（rATA）工具可以衡量对 AT 的需求以及获得这些技术的障碍。
本研究旨在通过 rATA 工具衡量印度卡纳塔克邦沿海地区的未满足需求和 AT 的使用情况。
在卡纳塔克邦沿海的芒格洛尔和乌杜皮两个地区共进行了一项基于人群的调查，共有 500 户家庭参与，其中 250 户来自芒格洛尔，250 户来自乌杜皮。在包括移动、视力、听力、沟通、记忆和自理在内的六个活动领域评估了对 AT 的需求。
研究参与者的平均年龄为 34.3 岁，标准差为 21.2 岁。30.6%的研究参与者报告使用了辅助产品，其中 27.3%使用了一种产品，2%使用了两种产品。89.5%的辅助产品购自私营部门，只有 4.1%购自公共部门。进行任何活动的难度水平随年龄的增长而增加。有 301 名参与者报告了为辅助产品支付的自付费用，平均每年支出为 2226.05 卢比（S.D. 2204）。眼镜、矫形器（脊柱）和治疗性鞋类是最常见的辅助产品，存在未满足的需求。
我们的研究结果强调了迫切需要将老年护理政策主流化，以解决老年人的功能困难，并通过公私伙伴关系解决辅助技术的自费问题。
