Community practitioner involvement in collaborative research

Abstract

This paper focuses on the benefits and limitations of collaborative research in community-based service settings explored through the implementation of a psychosocial intervention. The study aimed to establish the effectiveness of working with dementia dyads (person with dementia and family caregiver) in the early stages of dementia and to recruit and train an existing practitioner workforce to deliver a psychosocial intervention designed to assist dementia dyads to manage the consequences of dementia. Seven intervention staff participated in post-intervention semi-structured interviews. Whilst staff recruitment and retention proved challenging the degree to which staff demonstrated the required communication skills and competence was an important component in dyad acceptability of the intervention. Participatory factors, collaborative development, selective recruitment, focused training and ongoing specialist support, can assist the implementation of practice-based research. However, intervention staff participation and therefore intervention delivery can be hampered by workplace culture and workforce demands.