Experiences of municipal information on assistive devices and provision

• Aims: Research concerning assistive devices supply in Sweden has focused the matching of person and device from the time of the first meeting between a client and a prescriber and onwards. Howev-er, research concerning the time period before the actual prescription process, seems scarce. The aim of this paper is to describe initial parts of an ongoing analysis concerning the experience among per-sons, who, for the first time, are seeking information on assistive devices and provision from munic-ipal web-pages and prescribers. Methods: Due to obvious methodological problems locating persons who have not yet began seeking information; an alternative approach had to be taken. The focus being how information is perceived, subjects were not limited by reasons for seeking this information, e.g. personal needs. Instead, 36 students contacted two municipalities each, and took notes on the experience thereof. These were analysed by means of a thematic content analysis. Results: Web-pages and prescribers were both perceived as focusing information of the process of assistive devices provision, rather than assistive devices per se. In occasions, a county council sub-page of a national web-page (“1177 Vårdguiden”) was recommended concerning information on specific devices. Furthermore, municipal web-pages varied in labelling information. Language and layout were perceived as less than accessible. Some pages lacked accessible information. Contacting municipal prescribers, short telephone hours caused problems. Conclusions: In sum, information was perceived as less than sufficient concerning assistive devices, despite: (1) The Swedish parliament have established information as a key factor in increasing socie-tal participation (explicitly concerning health care and assistive devices); and (2) a significant rela-tionship exists between access to sufficient information and satisfaction with an assistive device. A theoretical analysis concerning the perceived divergence between function and intention of the sys-tem can include the perspective of Max Weber and civil servant decision-making, and Michael Lipsky’s Street-level Bureaucrat. However, as this paper concerns an ongoing analysis, theoretical perspectives remains to be developed.

Nyckelord

assistive technology

information

municipality

provision

Publikations- och innehållstyp

vet (ämneskategori)

kon (ämneskategori)