Background:
Engaging end users of research in the process of disseminating findings may increase therelevance of findings and their impact for users. We report findings from a case study thatexplored how involvement with the Translating Research in Elder Care (TREC) studyinfluenced management and staff at one of 36 TREC facilities. We conducted the study at’Restwood’ (pseudonym) nursing home because the Director of Care engaged actively in thestudy and TREC data showed that this site differed on some areas from other nursing homesin the province. The aims of the case study were two-fold: to gain a better understanding ofhow frontline staff engage with the research process, and to gain a better understanding ofhow to share more detailed research results with management.
Methods:
We developed an Expanded Feedback Report for use during this study. In it, we presentedsurvey results that compared Restwood to the best performing site on all variables andparticipating sites in the province. Data were collected regarding the Expanded FeedbackReport through interviews with management. Data from staff were collected throughinterviews and observation. We used content analysis to derive themes to describe keyaspects related to the study aims.
Results:
We observed the importance of understanding organizational routines and the impact of keyevents in the facility’s environment. We gleaned additional information that validatedfindings from prior feedback mechanisms within TREC. Another predominant theme was thesense that the opportunity to engage in a research process was reaffirming for staff(particularly healthcare aides)–what they did and said mattered, and TREC provided ameans of having one’s voice heard. We gained valuable insight from the Director of Careabout how to structure and format more detailed findings to assist with interpretation and useof results.
Conclusions:
Four themes emerged regarding staff engagement with the research process: sharing feedbackreports from the TREC study; the meaning of TREC to staff; understanding organizationalcontext; and using the study feedback for improvement at Restwood. This study has lessonsfor researchers on how to share research results with study participants, includingmanagement.