ABSTRACT

Objective : The purpose of this study was to research the practical degree of use of assistive technology in order to provide occupational therapists conveying an assistive technology service and devices to persons with disabilities for their health and rehabilitation with actual and present conditions concerning assistive technology services, and to discover improvement methods toward the present application of assistive technology.Methods : This study was conducted using 256 occupational therapists who have obtained their occupational therapist license in South Korea and have practiced in a clinical setting. The study period was from October 28, 2006 to November 4, 2006.Results : Eighty-two (32.0%) of the occupational therapists had experience with assistive technology, and the subject group with physical disabilities was the largest portion. Moreover, 165 (64.4%) answered that the application of the therapeutic environment was low or very low. And 127 (49.6%) of the occupational therapists answered positively to the question of whether they are planning to use an assistive technology appended to the current method. The practical degree of use of assistive technology among occupational therapists was indicated as relatively low; averaging a score of only 1.70 out of 12. To improve the application, they answered in the following order: offering educational opportunity, providing financial support, improving cognition, and supplying professionally trained manpower/labor. Individuals with higher educational background had a higher percentage of using an assistive technology.Conclusion : In conclusion, assistive technology has been widely acquired among occupational therapists. For the effectiveness of the application of assistive technology, there should be continuous support in terms of associative supplementary education, related workshops and seminars, and financial support.