SCIE Practice guide 09: Dignity in care

Overview of selected research - Gaps in the research

This overview describes only a small proportion of the research and policy which is relevant to dignity in care. It is not possible, from this selection, to identify how comprehensively the subject has been studied. But researchers themselves draw attention to weaknesses in their own research and some remaining gaps:

• Many of the studies which involve interviewing samples of older care users have commented that people were selected by virtue of their capacity to take part in interviews and or complete questionnaires. By definition, people with dementia, other cognitive impairments or communication difficulties have been excluded, contributing to their relative absence from 'involvement’ activity in health and social care.
• Men have also frequently been under-represented in these samples.
• Literature which relates to aspects and components of dignity in social care exists for some groups of service users - people with learning disabilities, for example. But there is relatively little in relation to older people.
• Limited research on the meaning and effects of ageism is reported, and its interaction with other forms of disadvantage and discrimination.
• The amount of research about older black and minority ethnic people is greater than in other areas of research on social care, but it still overlooks some key groups and factors.
• Other marginalised groups which are represented in the literature rather rarely include gay and lesbian older people.

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