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Persons with MS have the highest unemployment rates compared to other chronic diseases. We want to develop a MS Toolkit with several aids for persons with MS to help them gain a sustainable employment with sufficient and permanent attention and guidance for the daily obstacles in the workplace. Therefore, the opportunities and bottlenecks were mapped through a survey with persons with MS and employers, a diary and expert interviews. There were 3 major problems identified: Persons with MS find it difficult to ask for help in time; they have little or no concrete knowledge about who they can turn to for support and healthcare professionals do not always possess the expertise to guide their patients through problems experienced on the work floor. These problems were used as fundaments in a cocreation session to create the content of the MS Toolkit: a screening tool and dashboard. The screening tool ensures an annual reflection of the work situation. The dashboard links each problem to the most appropriate service. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction. Elderly prefer to live as long as possible independent in their own home. The occupational therapist can play an important role in this, for instance by giving advice regarding home adaptations or the use of assistive technology in order for the person to function more independently. There is need for a tool that allow to screen the home easily and thorough. Aim. The aim of the study is to develop a screening tool that meets the requirements of occupational therapists to assess the home environment for persons in order to facilitate independent living Methods. The screening tool 'Obstacle' was developed and tested in 3 phases within an iterative way using a user-centred design. Firstly, crucial items based on literature and expertise of researchers and occupational therapists in the field were identified and the Obstacle paper version and manual was developed. Secondly, the tool was adapted and digitalised to be used on a tablet. Thirdly, a mini-version of Obstacle was created, being less time consuming and usable as a signalling tool to determine the need for applying the extensive version. The tool was tested by screening homes of 96 elderly in total. Additionally, opinions of 5 elderly, 5 informal caregivers and 5 professional caregivers were gathered with a focus group. Results. The digital screening tool Obstacle is developed and includes 13 rooms to be screened with specific items for each room to be scored. Obstacle was judged very useful by occupational therapists. Conclusion. The novelty of this tool is the focus on independent living and the starting point of occupational performance, reduce the risk of falling and facilitating in advising the optimal home adaptations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since 1989-1990, Vlibank is the Flemish AT information database managed by the Flemish government and aims to have a complete overview of AT devices in Flanders. The growing AT market increases the need for unbiased information on AT. However, maintaining and keeping a database up-to-date is a very challenging task. Because of recent changes in policy, the Flemish government needs to be able to reimburse a bigger group of AT devices, but also the changing needs of a larger group of people, regardless of their age. Because the crucial role of an AT information database in the selection of AT devices and the effectiveness of the service delivery, a functional analysis of an online information database is made. This paper describes the qualitative part of the study, in particular the focus groups that were held to gather views of three groups of stakeholders. Preliminary results indicate that there is consensus on the information needs next to product information and on the use of generic questions as a selection tool for AT devices. The biggest issue raised is the difficulty of keeping an information database up-to-date, especially for individualized devices. All participants, except one, are very wary of the use of user ratings and reviews. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]