Multi-Stakeholder Aged Care Research Networks: A Scoping Review

An aging population worldwide has highlighted the need for improved care in long-term aged care homes. In Australia, such homes are called Residential Aged Care homes, and reform is underway to improve the quality and safety of aged care. A key enabler of quality improvement is increasing evidence-based practice through creating a system to support research translation. Collaborative multi-stakeholder research networks offer a potential solution by bringing together stakeholders to identify evidence-to-practice gaps, co-design research and translate knowledge into practice. The aim of this scoping review was to understand the current evidence on the creation and maintenance of multi-stakeholder aged care research networks internationally, reported facilitators and barriers, and outcomes.

An academic literature search in 5 databases to identify existing multi-stakeholder aged care research networks. A grey literature search was conducted using Google, Google Scholar, grey literature databases, and a manual search of targeted websites.

10 papers and 19 web-based resources were identified, reporting on 6 multi-stakeholder research networks internationally. Enabling factors of successful networks included flexibility in structure, good governance, leveraging pre-existing research relationships, consistent and open communication, staff with dual roles in research and practice, and a focus on building long-term partnerships independent of research projects.

Collaborative multi-stakeholder research networks offer promise for improving research translation in aged care. Advancing the development of impactful multi-stakeholder aged care research networks requires internationally agreed terminology for network models, clear reporting and evaluation guidelines, and dedicated infrastructure resources.