What are the Priorities for Research of Older People Living in Care Homes? A Systematic Review and Content Analysis of Studies Reporting Care Home Residents’ Priorities and Unmet Needs

Context

There is limited evidence regarding the priorities of older people living in care homes to inform research activity.

Objectives

This review aimed to identify research priorities from the perspective of residents, their relatives, community-dwelling older people, health/care professionals and care home staff.

Methods

Included studies were from economically developed countries and designed to identify the research priorities of care home residents. Excluded studies described priorities relating to specific health conditions. Medline, Embase, PsycInfo, CINAHL were searched (January 2010–August 2024), alongside grey literature. Studies were assessed for quality but not excluded on this basis. A bespoke data extraction form was used, and content analysis undertaken to synthesise findings.

Findings

Thirty-five reports were included. Study designs varied, including priority setting exercises, surveys, interviews, focus groups, literature reviews. Priorities – and unmet needs, where future research would be beneficial – were organised into themes: residents’ daily life; residents’ quality of life; health prevention, assessment and management; caring for residents; care home staff; health and care services.

Limitations

Limiting the search to the English language might have excluded reports of relevance, but a large body of evidence from a wide range of countries was included. Priorities and un-met needs were included, as were reports that weren’t exclusive to care homes. This approach might have been insufficiently targeted; however, it increased resident representation in our findings.

Implications

Review findings provide a valuable resource for researchers and health/care staff wishing to focus their research or service provision on areas of importance for care home residents.