The service delivery system for assistive technology in Sweden: Current situation and trends

Article type: Research Article

Authors: Dahlberg, Raymond^{; *} | Blomquist, Ulla-Britt | Richter, Andreas | Lampel, Anna

Affiliations: Swedish Institute of Assistive Technology, Sundbyberg, Sweden

Correspondence: [*] Corresponding author: Raymond Dahlberg, Swedish Institute of Assistive Technology, P.O.Box 2047, SE-174 02 Sundbyberg, Sweden. Tel.: +46 8 600 84 09; E-mail: [email protected].

Abstract: This paper gives a brief description of the service delivery system for assistive technology used in daily life (AT) in Sweden, and includes discussion on present changes and trends. In Sweden the responsibility for provision of AT is shared between counties/regions and municipalities. The greater part of the cost for prescribed AT is paid by taxes. Each county/region and municipality decides on its fees and assortment of AT; there are no national guidelines or coordination. The prescription process is part of the rehabilitation process, where assessment of needs precedes prescription. In 2007 the Swedish government commissioned a programme in which trials with a voucher system were conducted in three counties and eight municipalities. The trials were evaluated and interviewed users expressed that the voucher system increased their participation in the process and that they experienced more satisfaction when they had purchased the AT on their own. The voucher system has been criticized by some users; notably by the main user organisation for persons with hearing impairments. During the past ten years, the range of AT that can be prescribed has been reduced and users have to buy some types of AT as consumer products on the private market.

Keywords: Assistive technology, assistive devices, service delivery system, prescription process

DOI: 10.3233/TAD-140416

Journal: Technology and Disability, vol. 26, no. 4, pp. 191-197, 2014