OTFACT: Multi-level performance-oriented software with an assistive technology outcomes assessment protocol

Issue title: The Assessment of Assistive Technology Outcomes, Effects and Costs

Guest editors: Gert Jan Gelderblom and Luc P. de Witte

Article type: Research Article

Authors: Smith, Roger O.

Affiliations: University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Milwaukee, WI, USA. E-mail: smithro@uwm.edu | iRv, Institute for Rehabilitation Research, P.O. Box 192, 6430 AD Hoensbroek, The Netherlands. Http: www.irv.nl; E-mail; gj.gelderblom@irv.nl

Abstract: OTFACT is a software-based data collection system that implements several unique strategies for measuring assistive technology outcomes. The software uses adaptive questioning to focus on the particular needs of the individual. The computer also creates an efficient data collection platform that makes it practical to use a longer question set to optimise reliability. A functional outcomes theory grounds OTFACT, producing a multi-level question domain similar to the WHO and other global taxonomies. Studies of the reliability and validity of OTFACT have extended beyond the instrument itself to address scaling issues created by the dynamic implementation of questions. Among its scaling features, OTFACT uses a 0--100 percent function scale that normalizes individual scores to a standard criterion-based range. OTFACT includes a feature for comparing the differential functional performance of individuals when they use AT.

DOI: 10.3233/TAD-2002-14309

Journal: Technology and Disability, vol. 14, no. 3, pp. 133-139, 2002