1. The Role of Research in the Health and Social Care Professions

Reflective Exercise

A patient you are caring for has dementia. How would you know what was the best care to deliver for the patient and their family? Where would you go to find out information?

You may have thought about approaching the following:

  1. National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidance (www.nice.org.uk/guidance/CG42)
  2. Cochrane Dementia and Cognitive Improvement Group (http://dementia.cochrane.org)
  3. SAGE online journal articles such as: Robinson, A., Emden, C., Croft, T., Vosper, G., Elder, J., Stirling, C. and Vickers, J. (2011). Mixed methods data collection in dementia research. Journal of Mixed Methods Research,  5 (4), 330–44. Available at: http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/1558689811416940
    (A mixed methods study with 20 family carers and the cared for person with dementia who provided data through a range of questionnaires and interviews.) 
  4. Third sector organisations such as Dementia UK (www.dementiauk.org) and Alzheimer’ s Society (www.alzheimers.org.uk).