TY - JOUR
T1 - Developing a research agenda for assisted living.
AU - Kane, Rosalie A
AU - Wilson, Keren Brown
AU - Spector, William
PY - 2007
Y1 - 2007
N2 - PURPOSE: We describe an approach to identifying knowledge gaps, research questions, and methodological issues for assisted living (AL) research. DESIGN AND METHODS: We undertook an inventory of AL literature and research in progress and commissioned background papers critiquing knowledge on selected subtopics. With an advisory committee, we identified a comprehensive list of researchable questions of potential utility to consumers, providers, and/or policy makers, which AL researchers then rated as to their importance. The preliminary work facilitated a structured working conference of AL researchers. RESULTS: The top five priority topics identified as a result of the polling before the conference were consumer preferences, cost and financing, developing an information system for consumer decision making, developing quality measures, and resident outcomes. From conference discussion, conferees added other emphasis areas and refined the original ones. They flagged lack of standardized definitions and measures as barriers to building an empirically based AL literature. Conferees also identified distinctions between research on AL as a whole and research on interventions within AL. IMPLICATIONS: In an emerging area in which the literature cannot yet support rigorous comparisons, meta-analysis, or consensus conferences, the systematic approaches, including assembling researchers who use widely different methods, generated substantial agreement on a research agenda.
AB - PURPOSE: We describe an approach to identifying knowledge gaps, research questions, and methodological issues for assisted living (AL) research. DESIGN AND METHODS: We undertook an inventory of AL literature and research in progress and commissioned background papers critiquing knowledge on selected subtopics. With an advisory committee, we identified a comprehensive list of researchable questions of potential utility to consumers, providers, and/or policy makers, which AL researchers then rated as to their importance. The preliminary work facilitated a structured working conference of AL researchers. RESULTS: The top five priority topics identified as a result of the polling before the conference were consumer preferences, cost and financing, developing an information system for consumer decision making, developing quality measures, and resident outcomes. From conference discussion, conferees added other emphasis areas and refined the original ones. They flagged lack of standardized definitions and measures as barriers to building an empirically based AL literature. Conferees also identified distinctions between research on AL as a whole and research on interventions within AL. IMPLICATIONS: In an emerging area in which the literature cannot yet support rigorous comparisons, meta-analysis, or consensus conferences, the systematic approaches, including assembling researchers who use widely different methods, generated substantial agreement on a research agenda.
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U2 - 10.1093/geront/47.supplement_1.141
DO - 10.1093/geront/47.supplement_1.141
M3 - Article
C2 - 18162576
AN - SCOPUS:65849287773
SN - 0016-9013
VL - 47 Spec No 3
SP - 141
EP - 154
JO - Gerontologist
JF - Gerontologist
ER -