TY - JOUR

T1 - Perspectives of policy and political decision makers on access to formal dementia care

T2 - Expert interviews in eight European countries

AU - Broda, Anja

AU - Bieber, Anja

AU - Meyer, Gabriele

AU - Hopper, Louise

AU - Joyce, Rachael

AU - Irving, Kate

AU - Zanetti, Orazio

AU - Portolani, Elisa

AU - Kerpershoek, Liselot

AU - Verhey, Frans

AU - de Vught, Marjolein

AU - Wolfs, Claire

AU - Eriksen, Siren

AU - Røsvik, Janne

AU - Marques, Maria J.

AU - Gonçalves-Pereira, Manuel

AU - Sjölund, Britt-Marie

AU - Woods, Robert

AU - Jelley, Hannah

AU - Orrell, Martin

AU - Stephan, Astrid

N1 - This is an EU Joint Programme - Neurodegenerative Disease Research (JPND) project. The project is supported through the following funding organisations under the aegis of JPND - www.jpnd.eu. Germany, Ministry of Education and Research, Ireland, Health research board, Italy, Ministry of Health, the Netherlands, The Netherlands organization for Health Research and Development, Sweden, The Swedish Research Council for Health, Working Life and Welfare, Norway, The Research Council of Norway, Portugal, Foundation for Science and Technology, FCT, United Kingdom, Economic and Social Research Council.

PY - 2017/8/3

Y1 - 2017/8/3

N2 - BackgroundAs part of the ActifCare (ACcess to Timely Formal Care) project, we conducted expert interviews in eight European countries with policy and political decision makers, or representatives of relevant institutions, to determine their perspectives on access to formal care for people with dementia and their carers.MethodsEach ActifCare country (Germany, Ireland, Italy, The Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Sweden, United Kingdom) conducted semi-structured interviews with 4–7 experts (total N = 38). The interview guide addressed the topics “Complexity and Continuity of Care”, “Formal Services”, and “Public Awareness”. Country-specific analysis of interview transcripts used an inductive qualitative content analysis. Cross-national synthesis focused on similarities in themes across the ActifCare countries.ResultsThe analysis revealed ten common themes and two additional sub-themes across countries. Among others, the experts highlighted the need for a coordinating role and the necessity of information to address issues of complexity and continuity of care, demanded person-centred, tailored, and multidisciplinary formal services, and referred to education, mass media and campaigns as means to raise public awareness.ConclusionsPolicy and political decision makers appear well acquainted with current discussions among both researchers and practitioners of possible approaches to improve access to dementia care. Experts described pragmatic, realistic strategies to influence dementia care. Suggested innovations concerned how to achieve improved dementia care, rather than transforming the nature of the services provided. Knowledge gained in these expert interviews may be useful to national decision makers when they consider reshaping the organisation of dementia care, and may thus help to develop best-practice strategies and recommendations.

AB - BackgroundAs part of the ActifCare (ACcess to Timely Formal Care) project, we conducted expert interviews in eight European countries with policy and political decision makers, or representatives of relevant institutions, to determine their perspectives on access to formal care for people with dementia and their carers.MethodsEach ActifCare country (Germany, Ireland, Italy, The Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Sweden, United Kingdom) conducted semi-structured interviews with 4–7 experts (total N = 38). The interview guide addressed the topics “Complexity and Continuity of Care”, “Formal Services”, and “Public Awareness”. Country-specific analysis of interview transcripts used an inductive qualitative content analysis. Cross-national synthesis focused on similarities in themes across the ActifCare countries.ResultsThe analysis revealed ten common themes and two additional sub-themes across countries. Among others, the experts highlighted the need for a coordinating role and the necessity of information to address issues of complexity and continuity of care, demanded person-centred, tailored, and multidisciplinary formal services, and referred to education, mass media and campaigns as means to raise public awareness.ConclusionsPolicy and political decision makers appear well acquainted with current discussions among both researchers and practitioners of possible approaches to improve access to dementia care. Experts described pragmatic, realistic strategies to influence dementia care. Suggested innovations concerned how to achieve improved dementia care, rather than transforming the nature of the services provided. Knowledge gained in these expert interviews may be useful to national decision makers when they consider reshaping the organisation of dementia care, and may thus help to develop best-practice strategies and recommendations.

KW - Dementia

KW - Access to formal dementia care

KW - Expert interviews

U2 - 10.1186/s12913-017-2456-0

DO - 10.1186/s12913-017-2456-0

M3 - Article

VL - 17

SP - 1

JO - BMC Health Services Research

JF - BMC Health Services Research

SN - 1472-6963

IS - 518

ER -