Your source of information on daily living equipment worldwide

Some of the best known, expert information providers worldwide have joined together to create the most comprehensive information service on assistive technology (AT) serving older and disabled people, their families and carers across the globe.

A WEALTH OF INFORMATION ON ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY

A wealth of information you need is at your fingertips. Take a look and discover how much there is to know. The EASTIN network - whose name recalls the European Union project that initiated this global information system - will help you find solutions for independent living or remove obstacles in the way of a full life. Here you have the starting point for the most impressive web-based tour of assistive technology (AT) products worldwide.

The Eastin website is is an easy-to-use tool that opens the door to several national databases at the same time, so you can look up the information you require and have it immediately translated into your own language, where necessary. You can analyse, compare, and choose the best and most up-to-date solutions for your needs. You may be a user of AT or a family member; you may advise clients as a healthcare professional or work in an ever-expanding industry as an engineer or manufacturer. Whoever you are this website may help you find answers to your questions – in your own language.

Behind the EASTIN information system stands the EASTIN network and the expertise of its member organizations, all being key players in their country in relation to AT information, consultancy, education, research and policy development. The organizations running the seven national databases currently feeding the EASTIN system (SIVA in Italy, REHADAT in Germany, HULPMIDDELEN in Belgium, HANDICAT in France, ASSISTDATA in Denmark, PROASSIST In the UK and AZARIM in Israel) can offer consultancy to any other country in the world to establish their own national information system.

WHAT CAN YOU FIND IN THE EASTIN SYSTEM ?

If you want to search for information on AT products across the globe, use "Assistive Products". Products can be searched by product classification, by keywords, by their commercial name or by the name of their manufacturer. You can also limit the search to the most recent products or carry out advanced searches by combining more search parameters.

If you want to search for information on companies involved in AT manufacturing or supplying, use "Companies".

If you want to search for AT associated information such as articles, case descriptions and ideas, use "Library". Articles may describe issues to be aware of, to ensure that an AT item is appropriate for the user. Case Descriptions report on how individuals exploited AT to enable them to achieve or maintain their independence. Ideas are short descriptions of particular problems and how they can be solved by using certain devices or tricks.

If you have a question for one of the Eastin member organizations, use "Info request".

If you are an AT manufacturer and want a product to be added to the EASTIN databases, use "Submit a product".

"About us" provides the contact data and the Websites of the EASTIN member Organisations. These include Partners, Affiliates and National Contact Organisations.

"Documents" includes public material on the EASTIN network to download.

"Asprex" is the link to the beta test version of the Assistive Product Explorer, an experimental guidance tool to help understand what AT products may be useful to individual situations.

"Gate Community" links to the GATE (Global Collaboration on Assistive Technology), a strategic initiative of the World Health Organization. The Eastin network actively participate in it.

MAY I LINK MY WEBSITE TO THE EASTIN SYSTEM ?

You are free to include the link to the EASTIN system (https://www.eastin.eu/) within your website or other digital media (online documents, social media etc.). By clicking on this link, EASTIN will detect the language of the operating system of your device. If this language is among those available in the system, EASTIN will display in that language, otherwise in English.

However, you can also do much more. EASTIN offers a powerful method to activate product searches from your website or media, by simply including links having the following syntax:

https://www.eastin.eu/la-CU/searches/products/list?iso=XXYYZZ

where "la-CU" stands for a valid code of "language-culture" (see the language-cultures recognised by EASTIN in section "change language") and "XXYYZZ" stands for a valid code of the ISO 9999:2022 classification of assistive products.

The link will return the products belonging to that ISO code, found by the EASTIN search engine at THAT MOMENT in the seven databases connected. Please always remember that at another moment the returned products may be not the same, because the underlaying databases are continuosly updated, with new products being added every day, or removed because no longer in the market.

For instance:
>> https://www.eastin.eu/nl-BE/searches/products/list?iso=122306
returns all products found by the EASTIN search engine on the current date, belonging to ISO category 12.23.06 (Electrically powered wheelchairs with electronic steering), displayed in the Belgian variant (culture code "BE") of the Dutch language (language code "nl");
>> https://www.eastin.eu/en/searches/products/list?iso=122306
returns the same results in the culture-independent version of the English language (language code "en").

The same (although it may be rarely useful) can be done for searching:
>> Companies
(https://www.eastin.eu/la-CU/searches/actors/companies/list?iso=XXYYZZ)
>> Articles
(https://www.eastin.eu/la-CU/searches/associatedinfo/articles/list?iso=XXYYZZ)
>> Case descriptions
(https://www.eastin.eu/la-CU/searches/associatedinfo/casedescriptions/list?iso=XXYYZZ)
>> Ideas
(https://www.eastin.eu/la-CU/searches/associatedinfo/ideas/list?iso=XXYYZZ)

A FEW PIECES OF HISTORY

The EASTIN information system was initially created in 2005 thanks to the support of the European Union within the eTEN initiative. In 2006 the self-funded EASTIN Association was created to maintain and further develop the EASTIN system and the EASTIN network. Over the years, other partners joined the network, initially from the European Union and later from other countries in the world.

EASTIN was a prize winner in several awards such "Ideenpark Gesundheitswirtschaft" (promoted in 2008 by Financial Times Deutschland) and "PKM 360° Giorgio Sacerdoti Award" (promoted by the Italian Computer Society). The awards recognised EASTIN as an excellent and unique example of effective knowledge management in the health and social sector, that significantly contributes to the advancement of AT worldwide.

The EASTIN website was redesigned several times, based on leading edge technology that greatly improved performance and exploited multilingual capabilities. Now the website works in many languages and returns information in the user-chosen language even if the original documents are stored in different languages in the EASTIN databases. In case the original document contains also free text, this is automatically translated in English.

What are ISO codes

According to the WHO (World Health Organization), an "assistive product" is "any external product (including devices, equipment, instruments or software), especially produced or generally available, the primary purpose of which is to maintain or improve an individual’s functioning and independence, and thereby promote their well-being".

The most widespread method to classify assistive technology products is the ISO 9999 international standard. All products and associated information in the EASTIN databases are classified according to the latest version of this standard, which was published in 2022 (ISO 9999:2022)

The ISO 9999 is a three-level classification system that clusters AT products round "CLASSES" (e.g. mobility, communication, recreation, etc.), then round "SUBCLASSES" (e.g. within class "mobility": powered wheelchairs, cars adaptations, etc.), eventually round "DIVISIONS" (e.g. within subclass "powered wheelchairs": electric motor-driven wheelchair with manual steering, electric motor-driven wheelchair with powered steering, etc.). Each ISO 9999 classification item has a numerical code: for instance, item "electric motor-driven wheelchair with powered steering" has the code 12.23.06, where the first two digits stand for Class 12 "mobility", the following two digits stand for subclass 12.23 "powered wheelchairs" and the last two digits stand for this specific division.

If you are not yet familiar with the ISO 9999 classification system, we suggest to take some minutes and have a look at it: finding your way in the world of assistive technology will become much easier. The best way is to click "Guided search by ISO product classification code" in the "Assistive Products" section of this website, and freely browse the various classes and subclasses to see what kind of products are covered by each classification item.