A Quality-of-Life Scale for Assistive Technology: Results of a Pilot Study of Aging and Technology
By Agree, Emily M.; Freedman, Vicki A.; Physical Therapy (PTJ) , Volume 91, Number 12, pages 1780-1788Publication Date: December 2011
Study was undertaken to develop a brief indicator, the Assistive Technology Quality-of-Life (ATQoL) Scale, for use in population based surveys to represent the effect of assistive technologies on quality of life for older people. The methods used in this cross-sectional survey were psychometric scale development and structural equation modeling. Data for this analysis came from the Pilot Study of Aging and Technology (PSAT), a study of a nationally drawn racially diverse sample of 350 community living Americans 50 years old or older who reported using one or more assistive devices. Particular attention was paid to creating brief items that could be administered in a computer assisted telephone interview. Results indicated that a brief, valid, and reliable scale reflecting quality of life related to assistive device use can be created from 3 questions designed to measure improvements in safety, control, and participation due to technology. The findings also suggested that assistive technology may more effectively improve quality of life for people with greater levels of functional limitations.
Published by: American Physical Therapy Association (Website:http://www.apta.org)
Link to text: http://ptjournal.apta.org/content/91/12/1780
