Demand, supply and satisfaction of assistive technology in China based on rapid Assistive Technology Assessment data / 中国康复理论与实践

ObjectiveTo investigate the demand, supply and satisfaction of the Chinese people on assistive technology. MethodsBased on the data from the World Health Organization rapid Assistive Technology Assessment (rATA) questionnaire in six provinces and cities in China, the assistive technology of the whole population in China was described from three aspects of demand, supply and satisfaction. ResultsA total of 15 234 valid questionnaires were obtained. In terms of demand, the proportion of visual impairment was the highest in all the functional impairment categories, the highest demands in the list were glasses (low-vision, short/long distance etc.) and walking sticks (canes/sticks, tripod and quadripod), while the highest demand outside the list was anti-skid pad. In terms of supply, the private sector was the main one, followed by government facility and public hospital, and most users took "paid out-of-pocket (self)" to obtain assistive technology, the distance to access the assistive technology was concentrated at "less than five kilometers", and the biggest obstacle to obtain assistive technology was lack of knowledge about assistive technology. Overall satisfaction with assistive technology was optimistic, the adaptation degree and service quality of assistive technology were the most unsatisfactory factors for users. ConclusionIn China, the satisfaction of assistive technology is optimistic, and there is a few amount of unmet assistive technology. It is necessary to propagandize assistive technology, and its manual should be readable, the assistive technical service team should be multidisciplinary, enterprises should promote independent innovation, and the professionals should be regulated.

Necessity of Setting Up Security System of Assistive Technology in China / 中国康复理论与实践

There is a huge demand of assistive service from persons with disabilities in China. To set up a security system of assistive technology at nation level will help the disabled to get service. This paper introduced the function of assistive device, discussed the necessity of setting up assistive service security system from the perspective of human right, social civilization, government duty, social security, in-dustry.

Application of 3D Printing Technology in Custom-made Foot Orthosis (review) / 中国康复理论与实践

3D printing technology has become the focus of the study on rapid proyotyping technology in recent years. This paper intro-duced the principle, material and equipments of 3D printing, as well as the foot orthosis. This paper also summarized the application of 3D printing in custom-made foot orthosis, and the differences between 3D printing and traditional technology from the aspect of structure de-sign, material, and clinical application, etc., and discussed the problems and future development of 3D printing.