Overview of selected research: Gaps in the research
This overview describes only a small proportion of the research and policy that 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 people using care services, 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.
- 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 include gay and lesbian older people only rather rarely.
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MethodologyOpen
The initial searches for references were undertaken at SCIE. Databases searched:
- Medline
- Psychoinfo
- NHS EED
- HMIC
- SSA
- NHS Evidence
- Cochrane Collection
- CINAHL
- AMED
- Social Work Abstracts
- Social Services Abstracts.
Additional references were found using: Google, Bing, Pdf-search-engine, Zuula SCIE Products searched included: Social Care TV, Dementia Gateway Key sources included DH Care Networks and the Department of Health. The references were imported into one integrated EndNote library, containing more than 150 references, arranged under key words. The references arrived at in this way were amplified by:
- additional internet searches
- hand-searching a number of journals
- contacting a number of individual academic and other experts personally, for contacts and references, by phone and/or e-mail.
-
ReferencesOpen
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