USING HYBRID EFFECTIVENESS DESIGNS TO FACILITATE IMPLEMENTATION: THREE CASE STUDIES IN DEMENTIA CARE RESEARCH

Abstract

Abstract This individual symposium presentation will provide case examples of three “hybrid effectiveness” trials in dementia care in different care settings including community-based and residential long-term care settings, each of which incorporate implementation methods alongside traditional evaluations of effectiveness. We offer considerations related to conceptualization, study design, sampling, data collection, and analysis that may guide gerontologists who aspire to adopt hybrid effectiveness designs in their own work. We conclude with methodological recommendations to incorporate an implementation science lens throughout the lifecycle of gerontological (and/or dementia care) intervention development. By applying key principles from implementation science throughout the intervention development process, a truncated and more efficient implementation pipeline may be achievable in gerontological research. Moreover, incorporation of implementation science methods into standard intervention development and testing methodologies will result in older persons, their families, healthcare providers, and communities having the best evidence available at their disposal.