Improving Satisfaction with Assistive Technology Through Better Service Delivery: Evidence from the WHO rATA Survey in Italy

Population-level evidence on how different phases of assistive technology service delivery contribute to user satisfaction with assistive products remains limited, despite its importance for strengthening provision systems. This study investigates how different aspects of assistive technology service delivery influence user satisfaction with assistive products and their perceived usefulness. Drawing on data from 992 Italian respondents to the WHO rapid Assistive Technology Assessment (rATA) survey, hierarchical regression and mediation analyses were conducted to examine the relative contribution of pre- and post-delivery services (i.e., assessment and training, and maintenance and follow-up) to overall product satisfaction. Results showed that satisfaction with pre-delivery services (β = 0.571, p < 0.001) was the strongest predictor of product satisfaction, followed by post-delivery services (β = 0.280, p < 0.001). Together, both service dimensions explained nearly 60% of the variance in product satisfaction (R2 = 0.595). Mediation analysis further revealed that satisfaction with pre-delivery services partially mediated the relationship between product satisfaction and perceived usefulness (β = 0.147, p < 0.001), accounting for 29% of the total effect. These findings suggest a complementary pattern, in which pre-delivery services may provide a foundation for positive user experiences, while post-delivery services contribute meaningfully to sustaining satisfaction and perceived usefulness. The results provide population-level insights that may support national reflections on how to strengthen assistive technology service delivery, while recognizing that both early- and later-stage service components play important and interdependent roles.