Dispositivos de tecnologia assistiva: fatores relacionados ao abandono

This review aims to identify factors related to abandonment of assistive technology devices in face of the increased number of individuals with disabilities, as well as the importance of the assistive technology devices (ATD) to improve their occupational performance, the increased abandonment rates of these devices and the high costs associated with them. We used a critical literature review with the keywords: assistive technology/tecnologia assistiva, abandonment/abandono, rejection/rejeição, and disuse/desuso, published between the years 2002 and 2013. The search was conducted in MEDLINE, LILACS and SciELO and identified a total of 49 articles and\ud9 publications that met the inclusion criterion. It found that the most cited factors related to the abandonment of devices are problems with the user’s physical condition; lack of information and training both professionals and users; pain; lack of functionality; ATD preference or other use of remaining capacity; increased weight; changes in ADT conditions; use difficulty; unsatisfactoriness; discomfort; inadequacy/inappropriate; and “lot of noise”. The better understanding of these factors is critical to improve the effectiveness of prescription and intervention\udby professionals and imperative to increase membership and promote effective results