Table 1_Assessing assistive technology needs, unmet demands, barriers, and gaps in the Indian population: a protocol for large epidemiological survey.docx

BackgroundDespite the critical role of assistive technologies (AT) in supporting individuals with functional impairments, there is limited information on AT needs and barriers across India's diverse regions. To fill this gap, we have designed a detailed survey protocol to gather nationally representative data on AT need, unmet need and satisfaction.
MethodsA cross-sectional survey of 180,000 individuals (30,000 per region) across six regions i.e., North, South, East, West, Central, and North-East India will be conduct. Districts will be purposively selected to capture geographic diversity and institutional capacity; within each selected district, villages and urban wards will be chosen with probability proportional to size and households will then be selected by systematic random sampling. All members of each sampled household will be interviewed with the digital WHO Rapid Assistive Technology Assessment (rATA) tool, after staff complete standard training program; data quality will be ensured through real-time database checks, supervisory cross-checks, and monthly audits by the ICMR coordinating team.
AnalysisWe will estimate prevalence of AT need, unmet need, and satisfaction with 95 percent confidence intervals using univariate and multivariate logistic regression to identify associated factors. Sampling weights and sensitivity analyses will adjust and compare estimates.
DiscussionThis protocol describes the largest AT needs survey ever conducted in South-East Asia. The data generated will provide crucial evidence to guide India's national AT strategy. By sharing our detailed methodology, we aim to offer a practical framework that other low and middle-income countries can adapt to assess and enhance their own AT services.

背景：尽管辅助技术（Assistive Technologies，以下简称AT）在支持功能障碍群体方面发挥着至关重要的作用，但印度各多元区域中关于AT需求与使用障碍的相关信息仍较为匮乏。为填补这一研究空白，我们设计了一套详尽的调查方案，旨在收集具有全国代表性的AT需求、未满足需求以及满意度相关数据。
方法：本研究将针对印度北部、南部、东部、西部、中部以及东北部六大区域的18万名个体开展横断面调查（每个区域3万名参与者）。我们将采用立意抽样法选取区县，以覆盖地理多样性与机构能力；在每个选中的区县内，按规模比例概率法选取村落与城市社区，随后通过系统随机抽样选取家庭。在研究人员完成标准培训后，将使用数字化世界卫生组织快速辅助技术评估（WHO Rapid Assistive Technology Assessment，rATA）工具对抽中家庭的所有成员进行访谈。数据质量将通过实时数据库核查、督导交叉核查，以及印度医学研究理事会（Indian Council of Medical Research，ICMR）协调团队开展的月度审核予以保障。
分析：我们将采用单变量与多变量逻辑回归分析，结合95%置信区间估算AT需求、未满足需求及满意度的患病率，并识别相关影响因素。同时将通过抽样权重与敏感性分析对估算结果进行校准与对比。
讨论：本方案为东南亚地区迄今规模最大的AT需求调查。所生成的数据将为印度国家AT战略的制定提供关键依据。通过公开本研究的详尽方法学细节，我们旨在为其他中低收入国家提供一套可适配的实用框架，以评估并完善本国的AT服务体系。