Key dimensions of client satisfaction with assistive technology: a cross-validation of a Canadian measure in The Netherlands.

The purpose of this study was to conduct a cross-validation of the bidimensional structure of a satisfaction measure with assistive technology. Data were drawn from a follow-up study of 243 subjects who had been administered the Dutch version of the Quebec User Evaluation of Satisfaction with assistive Technology (QUEST). Ratings related to 12 satisfaction items were analysed. Factor analysis results showed that the underlying structure of satisfaction with assistive technology consists of two dimensions related to assistive technology, Device (eight items) and Services (four items), accounting for 40% of the common variance. This finding was consistent with a previous Canadian study and was interpreted as supporting the adequacy and stability of the QUEST measure of satisfaction. Although the structure is delineated, further studies are recommended to support its use in European countries.

Item analysis of the Quebec User Evaluation of Satisfaction with Assistive Technology (QUEST).

The Quebec User Evaluation of Satisfaction with Assistive Technology (QUEST) is an outcomes assessment tool designed to measure satisfaction with assistive technology in a structured and standardized way. The purpose of this article is to present the results of an analysis of the 24 items comprising QUEST and to explain how a subset of items demonstrating optimal measurement performance was selected. The criteria against which the items were measured were general acceptability, content validity, contribution to internal consistency, test-retest stability, and sensitivity. The items that ranked best in terms of these measurement properties were submitted to factorial analysis in order to complete the item selection. The first series of analyses reduced the item pool approximately by half, and the second series of analyses led to the final selection of 12 items. Factor analysis results suggested a bidimensional structure of satisfaction with assistive technology related to the assistive technology device (eight items) and services (four items). The 12-item revised version that will result from this study should prove to be a reliable and valid instrument for measuring outcomes in the field of assistive technology.

Development of the Quebec User Evaluation of Satisfaction with assistive Technology (QUEST).

This study's purpose was to develop a clinical instrument designed to evaluate user satisfaction with assistive technology devices. This paper describes the methodology used to develop the instrument entitled the Quebec User Evaluation of Satisfaction with assistive Technology (QUEST). Based on the theoretical and practical foundations of assistive technology as well as on the concept of satisfaction, preliminary versions of the instrument were created and examined by a panel of team participants. After the panel's recommendations were incorporated, a pretest of the revised instrument was conducted and the final French version of QUEST emerged. The originality of QUEST lies in its inter-activeness and user-directed approach to assessing satisfaction with assistive technology. From a set of 27 variables, the user is asked to indicate the degree of importance he/she attributes to each of the satisfaction variables and then to rate his/her degree of satisfaction with each of the variables considered (quite or very) important. While QUEST remains a clinical instrument undergoing pilot testing, it holds much promise in our quest for a reliable and valid means of assessing assistive technology outcome from the user's perspective.

The relationship between oral sensation and drooling in persons with cerebral palsy.

This study examined the relationship between oral sensation and drooling in persons with cerebral palsy. The sample was composed of 40 subjects between 5 and 21 years of age who had a diagnosed condition of cerebral palsy. Twenty of the subjects had a drooling problem and 20 did not. The subjects were randomly selected from two Montreal schools for the disabled. The experimental procedure consisted of the administration of three tests of oral sensation: a test of oral stereognosis, a test of oral form discrimination, and a test of lingual two-point discrimination. In addition, saliva was quantified in those subjects who drooled. The results suggested a relationship between oral stereognosis and drooling in persons with cerebral palsy. The main implication for occupational therapists is that the assessment and treatment of drooling in people with cerebral palsy should address both the sensory and motor elements of oral function.