Theories, models and frameworks to understand barriers to the provision of mobility-assistive technologies: a scoping review

Objectives: There is strong evidence that mobility-assistive technologies improve occupational performance, social participation, educational and employment access and overall quality of life in people with disabilities. However, people with disabilities still face barriers in accessing mobility products and related services. This review aims to summarise and synthesise: (1) theories, models and frameworks that have been used to understand mobility-assistive technology access, (2) determinants of access and (3) gaps in knowledge.

Design A scoping review using the five-step framework by Arksey and O’Malley.

Data sources: We searched the MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature and SCOPUS databases for publications published between 2000 and 2024. We searched for articles published up to 20 March 2024.

Eligibility criteria: We included English-published literature in peer-reviewed journals that reported (a) barriers to the provision of mobility-assistive technologies, (b) including at least one theory, model or framework and (c) between 2000 and 2024.

Data extraction and synthesis: We extracted the study characteristics, theories, models, framework usage, research recommendations, key findings on mobility-assistive technology barriers and theoretical propositions. We conduct a theoretical synthesis guided by Turner’s approach.

Results: We included 18 articles that used 8 theories, models and frameworks, synthesised into 9 propositions. The synthesised theory emphasises that mobility is essential for human flourishing, and that certain health conditions may impose restrictions on mobility. This impact can be alleviated by two direct determinants: (1) the provision of suitable services and (2) their comprehensive provision. Policies and costs influence these services indirectly. Environmental and personal factors also affect the use of these services. Ineffectively addressing these determinants can limit access to mobility-assistive technologies and subsequent disabilities.

Conclusion: Our synthetic model describes the logic of providing evidence-based mobility-assistive technologies, and we identify the determinants of access that can act as targets for future work to improve the provision of mobility-assistive technologies.