The NH Explanatory Trials Network: Supporting Transformation by Enhancing Partnerships (The NEXT STEPS).
Funded Grant
Overview
Affiliation
View All
Overview
description
The proposed project, NEXT STEPs (Nursing Home EXplanatory Clinical Trials: Supporting Transformation by Enhancing Partnerships) Network, creates a national infrastructure that will address systemic barriers to conducting research in nursing homes (NHs). NHs care for people with serious, complex medical illnesses and are a critical site of care for people with Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias (ADRD). The proposed infrastructure is needed to identify and overcome the multiple challenges to conducting research in this setting of care, which include navigating regulatory and recruitment challenges for people with ADRD. The NEXT STEPs Network aims to provide integrated support for investigators to conduct equitable, explanatory trials in nursing homes. NEXT STEPs will create a collaborative community of NH leaders, staff, residents and care partners, clinicians, and researchers to identify research priorities for the field and develop action plans to address them. This will be accomplished via project Cores including Central Coordination; Recruitment and Retention; Methods, Measures, and Data; and Projects and Training. Consensus-based best practices for NH clinical trials will be used to create toolkits and research guidance and foster collaborations. A pilot projects program and research mentorship will create increased national capacity to conduct NH clinical trials. A key component of this project is the bi-directional collaboration with the Long-Term Care Data Cooperative (LTCDC), which has created integrated datasets for hundreds of thousands of nursing home residents. The NEXT STEPs Network Real World Data Scholars and pilot grant awardees will utilize the LTCDC for proposed projects. The development of experiential learning models will provide embedded opportunities for collaboration and learning for researchers in the nursing home setting. Research and Industry/Advocacy Advisory Panels and Partner Workgroups will represent key viewpoints in nursing home care and inform all aspects of the project. The project team will focus on disseminating best practices, pilot project findings and hosting annual meetings, presenting at national conferences and convening regional partner meetings to ensure effective dissemination of key findings. The NEXT STEPs Network will enable researchers from different disciplines to collaborate, with a goal of increasing the number and quality of clinical trials conducted in NHs, including those that focus on prevention, medical therapeutics, behavioral, health services interventions, and the care of special populations including people with ADRD. NEXT STEPs will create strong linkages between researchers, industry, and other crucial parties, fostering evidence-based innovations on key priorities to optimize resident care and quality of life for those living, supporting loved ones, and working in NHs.
