Estimates of the global workforce required for providing assistive technology: a modeling study

Area of Science:

• Global Health
• Rehabilitation Sciences
• Health Workforce Planning

Background:

• Access to assistive products, a fundamental right, varies significantly worldwide (3%-90%).
• Adequate and trained human resources are crucial for improving access to assistive products.
• Workforce planning is essential to address disparities in assistive technology provision.

Purpose of the Study:

• To estimate the global workforce required for assistive technology (AT) provision.
• To achieve a high level of access to assistive products globally.
• To inform strategies for workforce development in AT.

Main Methods:

• A modeling study was conducted using workforce and needs estimates.
• Data from WHO Rapid Assistive Technology Assessment surveys in 28 countries informed assistive product needs.
• Predictions were made for five AT product domains: cognition/communication, hearing, mobility/self-care, orthotics/prosthetics, and vision.

Main Results:

• A global workforce of 4.4 million full-time equivalents (FTE) is required for high AT access.
• Excluding administrative roles, 3.4 million FTE are needed for direct AT provision.
• The largest workforce needs are in mobility and self-care (1.7M FTE) and orthotics/prosthetics (0.9M FTE).

Conclusions:

• The estimated workforce size is likely conservative, providing a cautious foundation.
• This study offers critical data for developing strategies to meet global assistive product needs.
• Improving access to assistive products necessitates strategic investment in the AT workforce.