An on-line system supporting the provision of assistive technology products to individual users through the National Health Service

A on-line tool was developed to assist rehabilitation teams in choosing the appropriate assistive devices meeting the clients' individual needs and compiling the prescription package for provision through the National Health Service. Such tool is implemented on the Italian national Assistive Technology Information Portal; it provides the following facilities 1) browsing the National List of categories of assistive equipment eligible for prescription, with guidance in compiling all the components of the prescription package 2) comparative analysis of products available on the market that meet the selected categories 3) detailed analysis of possible configurations of each product, in order to find out prices and prescription codes of the specific configuration meeting each client's individual needs. The tool was finalised through various validation rounds that involved assistive technology prescribers (medical doctors from the national Society of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation) and manufacturers/suppliers (who checked how effectively information can be constantly kept updated). The tool is now publicly available on www.portale.siva.it.