Taxonomy Of Interventions Research Articles

Lo-Fi Adaptive Re-Use in the Ouseburn Valley: What the Physical Materiality of Everyday Historical Industrial Buildings Can Tell Us About Sustaining Cultural and Creative Clusters

In the adaptive re-use of buildings, the physicality of buildings—the way they are designed, planned, constructed and maintained—has fallen out of fashion in favour of socio-economic conceptualisations and critical urban interpretations of the redevelopment process. However, the materiality of buildings plays a key part in how locations are re-produced in response to socio-economic circumstances—in this case, the creation and sustaining of cultural and creative clusters. In response, this paper adopts a forensic approach to the characteristics of physical buildings in order to develop an original taxonomy of lo-fi adaptive features and interventions that enable the authors to infer which types and aspects of industrial buildings lend themselves to sustaining cultural and creative clusters. The focus on lo-fi interventions is an original contribution to the adaptive re-use literature where attention tends to focus on more formal and traditional design-based interactions with existing buildings. In doing so, the research utilises a comparative case study approach of several former industrial buildings associated with the contemporary independent food and drink industry in the Ouseburn Valley cultural and creative quarter of Newcastle upon-Tyne in England. The research finds that it is the functional tolerance and malleability of the case study buildings—their inherent adaptive capacity, that in part helps to sustain the cultural and creative cluster in this location.

Development and Validation of the Midwifery Interventions Classification for a Salutogenic Approach to Maternity Care: A Delphi Study.

Background/Objectives: This study aims to develop and validate a Midwifery Interventions Classification (MIC), which is an evidence-based, standardized taxonomy and classification of core midwifery interventions based on a salutogenic perspective for maternity care. Methods: This study described the consensus process up to the results regarding the validation of the MIC through a two-round Delphi survey involving three panels of stakeholders: Midwives, Healthcare Researchers, and Maternity Service Users. Results: The resulting MIC comprises 135 core midwifery interventions classified into Direct Midwifery care (n = 80 interventions), Indirect Midwifery Care (n = 43 interventions), and Community Midwifery Care (n = 12 interventions), reaching an overall consensus rate among experts equal to 87%. These interventions were, therefore, adapted specifically for the Italian midwifery care context, with potential for international transferability, implementation, and scalability. Conclusions: The MIC is pivotal to boosting quality improvement, education, and comparable data collection for research, sustaining midwives' role in promoting optimal health for women, newborns, and families at large.

Taxonomy of interventions at academic institutions to improve research quality

Background Research waste has become an increasing issue for research institutions and researchers due to poor research reproducibility and replicability. Interventions to improve research quality at research institutions are important to reduce research waste. This review aims to identify and classify possible interventions to improve research quality, reduce waste, and improve reproducibility and replicability within research-performing institutions. Methods Steps to develop the taxonomy were 1) Use an exemplar paper looking at journal-level interventions to improve research quality, 2) Adapt intervention titles to align with Michie’s behaviour change wheel, 3) Conduct a 2-stage search in PubMed using seed articles and reviews, and a forward and backward citation search to identify articles that evaluated or described the implementation of interventions to improve research quality, 4) Pilot draft taxonomy with researchers at an openscience conference workshop, and 5) Iterative drafting and revisions by the research team. Results Overall, 93 individual interventions were identified through the peer-review literature and researcher reporting. Eleven peer-reviewed articles were identified. Interventions identified covered research stages from before, during, and after study conduct, and whole of institution. Types of intervention included: Tools, Education & Training, Incentives, Modelling and Mentoring, Review & Feedback, Expert involvement, and Policies & Procedures. The taxonomy identified areas for research institutions to focus on to improve research quality, reproducibility, and replicability. Conclusions Areas of focus and future research include improving incentives to implement quality research practices, evaluating current interventions, encouraging no- or low-cost and high-benefit interventions, examining institution culture and individual research ethos, and encouraging researcher mentor-mentee relationships.

How are nature-based interventions defined in mild cognitive impairment and dementia studies? A conceptual systematic review and novel taxonomy.

To systematically review research testing nature-based interventions for people living with mild cognitive impairment or dementia, and to report how authors have defined their interventions by presenting a taxonomy of the nature-based interventions. A conceptual systematic review of research published between 2008 and 2024 investigating nature-based interventions for people living with mild cognitive impairment or dementia was conducted. Three reviewers contributed independently. Exclusion criteria: not specifying if participants had mild cognitive impairment or dementia, only recruiting caregivers, no primary data, study protocols, abstracts, reviews, not peer-reviewed journal articles and any other grey literature. Intervention descriptions within the papers were thematically analysed. Fifty-two articles reporting fifty-one studies were included. The most common interventions were nature virtual reality (VR technology) and gardening. From the definition data, we produced a taxonomy with overarching domains of: (a) Other terms used; (b) Characteristics; (c) Activities. Subdomains included: development or approach, modes of action, location, physical features, and activities. Some interventions could be grouped. Structure and standardisation of the interventions varied, with a lack of clear reporting. This taxonomy provides conceptualisations of nature-based interventions that can be used by future researchers to guide the development, evaluation and reporting of robust interventions in this area.

Development of a Taxonomy of Policy Interventions for Integrating Nurse Practitioners into Health Systems.

Nurse practitioners (NPs)-nurses with advanced training who can provide and prescribe care-are increasingly prevalent internationally. The growth of NPs can be attributed to physician shortages, growing demand for health services, and the professionalization of nursing. Ensuring efficacious integration of NPs into the health system is critical for maximizing their impact on patient and system outcomes. Nonetheless, there is a dearth of information on practical policy interventions facilitating the successful integration of NPs. Effective policy interventions should capture the perspectives of actors at all levels of the health system-ie, national and organizational levels. This study aimed to delineate a taxonomy of policy interventions for integrating NPs into health systems. This paper presents a taxonomy developed among gerontology NPs in Israel. This qualitative descriptive study used multiple perspective, one-to-one interviews with four professional groups-national policy-makers, organizational administrators, NPs, and physicians. Data were analyzed using deductive content analysis. Analysis accounted for diverging and converging patterns between professional groups. There were 58 participants across the four professional groups. The national-level domain interventions include marketing, workforce development, professional licensure and regulation, financial incentives, stakeholder cooperation, education and training programs, and national-level research. Organizational domain interventions included organizational guidelines, infrastructure development and resource allocation, interprofessional leadership engagement, and organizational messaging. Unit- and care-team domain interventions included interprofessional experience and exposure, team communication, and mentorship. The taxonomy's trichotomy of three health system level domains describes the relationship between national and organizational policy interventions. Adopting these interventions may result in an improved response to provider shortages. Policies insufficiently addressing role clarity and workforce retention resulted in poor integration and a failure to efficaciously combat workforce shortages. Future work will expand the focus of this preliminary taxonomy by further development and testing with international participants.

Developing a taxonomy of soundscape interventions from a catalogue of real-world examples

In recent decades, there has been a growing interest in urban soundscapes and a shift towards a user-focused approach in urban sound environments. Despite this interest, there is no comprehensive taxonomy for soundscape design available. The Catalogue of Soundscape Interventions (CSI) project aims to fill this gap by creating a tool to collect and share data on real soundscape practices, with the goal of developing a design toolkit and brief to facilitate communication between local authorities, consultants, and researchers. An online platform has been launched to gather instances of soundscape interventions. This paper proposes eight dimensions of soundscape interventions and presents a taxonomy that categorizes these interventions based on recurring strategies and goals observed in 43 practice cases collected. These dimensions include stages, contributors, scale, period of time, intervention types, public involvement, aims and purposes, and approaches. As soundscape practices increase in complexity and variety, the taxonomy can be revised and expanded. Nevertheless, the provided taxonomy serves as an orientation aid for understanding, analyzing, and designing soundscapes, leading to the development of more harmonious and contextually appropriate acoustic environments.

Caring for high-need patients

ObjectiveWe aimed to explore the construct of “high need” and identify common need domains among high-need patients, their care professionals, and healthcare organizations; and to describe the interventions that health care systems use to address these needs, including exploring the potential unintended consequences of interventions.MethodsWe conducted a modified Delphi panel informed by an environmental scan. Expert stakeholders included patients, interdisciplinary healthcare practitioners (physicians, social workers, peer navigators), implementation scientists, and policy makers. The environmental scan used a rapid literature review and semi-structured interviews with key informants who provide healthcare for high-need patients. We convened a day-long virtual panel meeting, preceded and followed by online surveys to establish consensus.ResultsThe environmental scan identified 46 systematic reviews on high-need patients, 19 empirical studies documenting needs, 14 intervention taxonomies, and 9 studies providing construct validity for the concept “high need.” Panelists explored the construct and terminology and established that individual patients’ needs are unique, but areas of commonality exist across all high-need patients. Panelists agreed on 11 domains describing patient (e.g., social circumstances), 5 care professional (e.g., communication), and 8 organizational (e.g., staffing arrangements) needs. Panelists developed a taxonomy of interventions with 15 categories (e.g., care navigation, care coordination, identification and monitoring) directed at patients, care professionals, or the organization. The project identified potentially unintended consequences of interventions for high-need patients, including high costs incurred for patients, increased time and effort for care professionals, and identification of needs without resources to respond appropriately.ConclusionsCare for high-need patients requires a thoughtful approach; differentiating need domains provides multiple entry points for interventions directed at patients, care professionals, and organizations. Implementation efforts should consider outlined intended and unintended downstream effects on patients, care professionals, and organizations.

Evidence and gap map of infodemic management interventions in emergencies: a case of COVID-19

Abstract Background Because infodemic management (IM) is an evolving field that is bridging science into practice, it is often conducted in the field in an ad-hoc manner, focusing on implementation to address immediate challenges, and is less evaluated or reported in the scientific literature. This project used the Evidence and Gap Map (EGM) as a tool to provide an overview of investments in research and evidence for IM interventions. Methods A WHO working group advised development of protocol and of taxonomy of IM interventions and outcome measures based on literature review and expert discussion. Search was conducted on electronic databases and grey literature. Screening/coding of the studies was carried out independently by reviewers in two stages: the title and abstract and the full-text screening stage. Data extraction/critical appraisal was carried out for the included studies. Results 983 studies were included from 29,117 search records. Among impact studies that measured and reported outcomes, the reported interventions were on ‘science & health communication’ (n = 30), ‘education & training’ (n = 30), and ‘engagement’ (n = 10). ‘Individual knowledge, attitude and behaviors’ was the most frequently measured outcome. In descriptive studies not measuring outcomes, majority reported an intervention of ‘monitoring/detection of narratives, questions, concerns, and misinformation in the information ecosystem’ (580 studies), by ‘science + health communication’ (n = 258), ‘education + training’ (n = 86), ‘engagement’ (n = 86) and ‘laws, regulation + ethics’ (n = 60). Conclusions The EGM reviewed the evidence base on IM interventions. The analysis shows scarcity of impact evaluation studies in this area. Moreover, the map reflects concentrations of research in social media analytics studies, model studies for misinformation detection, individual level interventions. Major gaps exist in systems level interventions that address the information environment, and in broader impact measures. Key messages • Research funders should prioritize impact evaluation studies for systemic interventions to address infodemic to support solutions in design and implementation of such complex studies. • More research on infodemic management interventions is needed in LMICs and at health system level.

Between Carrots And Sticks, From Intentions To Actions: Behavioural Interventions For Housing Decisions

ABSTRACT Through a systematic and critical review of the literature, we assembled a list of behavioural biases identified in the housing market and a taxonomy of behavioural interventions tested extensively in the last two decades. Based on these findings, we developed an analytical framework for behavioural interventions for housing decisions. We suggest that behavioural interventions have the most significant potential in areas where market incentives and government regulations are ineffective. The application of behavioural interventions in the housing market should focus on encouraging and supporting decision-makers to narrow the intention-action gap.

Reducing unplanned hospital admissions from care homes: a systematic review

Background Care homes predominantly care for older people with complex health and care needs, who are at high risk of unplanned hospital admissions. While often necessary, such admissions can be distressing and provide an opportunity cost as well as a financial cost. Objectives Our objective was to update a 2014 evidence review of interventions to reduce unplanned admissions of care home residents. We carried out a systematic review of interventions used in the UK and other high-income countries by synthesising evidence of effects of these interventions on hospital admissions; feasibility and acceptability; costs and value for money; and factors affecting applicability of international evidence to UK settings. Data sources We searched the following databases in December 2021 for studies published since 2014: Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials and Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews; Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature; Health Management Information Consortium; Medline; PsycINFO; Science and Social Sciences Citation Indexes; Social Care Online; and Social Service Abstracts. ‘Grey’ literature (January 2022) and citations were searched and reference lists were checked. Methods We included studies of any design reporting interventions delivered in care homes (with or without nursing) or hospitals to reduce unplanned hospital admissions. A taxonomy of interventions was developed from an initial scoping search. Outcomes of interest included measures of effect on unplanned admissions among care home residents; barriers/facilitators to implementation in a UK setting and acceptability to care home residents, their families and staff. Study selection, data extraction and risk of bias assessment were performed by two independent reviewers. We used published frameworks to extract data on intervention characteristics, implementation barriers/facilitators and applicability of international evidence. We performed a narrative synthesis grouped by intervention type and setting. Overall strength of evidence for admission reduction was assessed using a framework based on study design, study numbers and direction of effect. Results We included 124 publications/reports (30 from the UK). Integrated care and quality improvement programmes providing additional support to care homes (e.g. the English Care Homes Vanguard initiatives and hospital-based services in Australia) appeared to reduce unplanned admissions relative to usual care. Simpler training and staff development initiatives showed mixed results, as did interventions aimed at tackling specific problems (e.g. medication review). Advance care planning was key to the success of most quality improvement programmes but do-not-hospitalise orders were problematic. Qualitative research identified tensions affecting decision-making involving paramedics, care home staff and residents/family carers. The best way to reduce end-of-life admissions through access to palliative care was unclear in the face of inconsistent and generally low-quality evidence. Conclusions Effective implementation of interventions at various stages of residents’ care pathways may reduce unplanned admissions. Most interventions are complex and require adaptation to local contexts. Work at the interface between health and social care is key to successful implementation. Limitations Much of the evidence identified was of low quality because of factors such as uncontrolled study designs and small sample size. Meta-analysis was not possible. Future work We identified a need for improved economic evidence and the evaluation of integrated care models of the type delivered by hospital-based teams. Researchers should carefully consider what is realistic in terms of study design and data collection given the current context of extreme pressure on care homes. Study registration This study is registered as PROSPERO database CRD42021289418. Funding This project was funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Health and Social Care Delivery Research programme (award number NIHR133884) and will be published in full in Health and Social Care Delivery Research; Vol. 11, No. 18. See the NIHR Journals Library website for further project information.

Updated taxonomy of digital mental health interventions: a conceptual framework.

Most individuals at risk for or already experiencing mental disorders have no access to mental health care. Digital mental health interventions (DMHIs) can be effective in preventing and treating mental disorders. A taxonomy of digital interventions was previously proposed to organize the different types of digital tools being developed to expand mental health service delivery. This article updates that framework and presents illustrations for four types of digital interventions specific to mental health and revises their definitions. The illustrations primarily focus on studies that include populations underrepresented in the literature to highlight the potential of DMHIs to reduce health disparities. Provider administered DMHIs (Type 1) and provider administered DMHIs with blended digital adjuncts (Type 2) are offered within a healthcare system. Self-help human supported/guided DMHIs with therapeutic or technical guidance (Type 3) are offered outside a healthcare system. And self-help fully automated DMHIs (Type 4) are interventions similar to self-help books, do not involve human support and are also offered outside a healthcare system. Type 1, 2, and 3 interventions are consumable, they require human time to administer and are limited by the number of hours a health care provider or guide (to promote adherence) is available. Type 4 interventions are non-consumable because these can be used an unlimited number of times anytime anywhere in the world without human interaction. Identifying DMHIs as belonging to one of these categories can promote the development of each category, guide future reviews and help disseminate those DMHIs to as many people as possible.

Design for friction. An inquiry to position friction as a method for reflection in design interventions.

To solve emerging problems, design uses new technologies to introduce “technofixes” (Hankey & Tuszynski, 2017) that are created to improve society in various capacities. The dissolution of technology, described as “ubiquitous computing”, brings with its pervasiveness a series of consequences to the constant production of personal data online (Greene, 2019; Manovich, 2012) that tech companies have now access to. Such data created new relationships between users, tech companies and their affiliates that are far from being settled, where scandals such as Cambridge Analytica provided visibility to the issue. The lack of awareness in this system, and the efforts in designing smooth and efficient experiences at the expense of clarity, raised questions in the public and legislators. The article explores, through literature review, if non-efficiency in design could be a viable way to make users reflect when using design products. As the antithesis to efficiency, we propose the term “friction”, a lens through which existing definitions of friction in design will be analyzed, introducing the concepts of “diegetic friction” and “extra-diegetic friction” as a possible taxonomy of design interventions.

Developmental Strategy and Validation of the Midwifery Interventions Classification (MIC): A Delphi Study Protocol and Results from the Developmental Phase

This study protocol aims to describe the rationale and developmental strategy of the first study in the Italian context which aimed to define a Midwifery Interventions Classification, an evidence-based, standardized taxonomy and classification of midwifery interventions. Midwifery interventions require a specific definition, developed through a consensus-building process by stakeholders to develop the Italian taxonomy of the Midwifery Interventions Classification with the potential for international transferability, implementation, and scaling up. A multi-round Delphi study was designed between June and September 2022, and data collection is planned between February 2023 and February 2024. The developmental phase of the study is based on a literature review to select meaningful midwifery interventions from the international literature, aiming to identify an evidence-based list of midwifery interventions. This phase led to including 16 articles derived from a systematic search performed on PubMed, CINAHL, and Scopus; 164 midwifery interventions were selected from the data extraction performed on the 16 included articles. Healthcare professionals, researchers, and service users will be eligible panelists for the Delphi surveys. The protocol designed a dynamic number of consultation rounds based on the ratings and interim analysis. A nine-point Likert scoring system is designed to evaluate midwifery interventions. Attrition and attrition bias will be evaluated. The results from the study designed in this protocol will inform the development of the Italian taxonomy of the Midwifery Interventions Classification. A shared classification of midwifery interventions will support audit and quality improvement, education, and comparable data collections for research, sustaining public recognition of midwifery interventions to promote optimal maternal and newborn health.

PROTOCOL: An evidence and gap map of studies of implementation issues for interventions for those affected by and at risk of homelessness in high-income countries.

This is the protocol for a Campbell systematic review. The objectives are as follows.The proposed evidence and gap map will present relevant process evaluations and other studies of barriers and facilitators, both qualitative and quantitative, for eligible homelessness interventions to highlight the issues arising in the implementation of these interventions. Specifically, the objectives of the map are to: (i) develop a clear taxonomy of interventions and implementation issues (e.g., barriers and facilitators-factors which works as barriers to hinder successful implementation of policies and programmes and factors which facilitate the intervention and therefore support its implementation) related to homelessness in high-income countries; (ii) map available systematic reviews and primary studies of the implementation issues of interventions for those experiencing homelessness and those at risk of homelessness, with an overview provided in a summary report; (iii) provide a searchable database of included studies accessible to research users via CHI website.

Sustainable mobility strategies deconstructed: a taxonomy of urban vehicle access regulations

BackgroundIn recent decades, cities worldwide are increasingly adopting vehicle access policies and technologies to alleviate the negative externalities related to high car use in the urban built environments. As such, car-oriented infrastructures and mobility policies implemented post-World War II are giving way to sustainable mobility strategies that aim to make cities healthier, more livable and more inclusive for all.PurposeMost of these strategies are considered as stand-alone cases related to a specific environmental, political and social urban context. However, similarities and patterns between different strategies can provide information on the replicability of mobility strategies in other urban contexts.MethodsThrough a literature review, this paper illustrates the wide range of urban vehicle access regulations (UVAR) applied within sustainable mobility strategies. In addition, we critically examine the process from ideation over design and implementation to operation phase for 12 West-European cities and define what measures are combined to end up with a sustainable mobility strategy.ResultsThis results in a taxonomy of UVAR interventions, subdivided in three categories: spatial interventions, pricing aspects and regulatory measures. We also highlight a number of complementary supportive measures implemented to counter the often restrictive nature of UVAR.ResultsThe paper shows that the strategies highlighted in the case studies are an amalgam of different UVAR and supportive measures. As such, deconstructing various sustainable mobility strategies enables us to shed light on the available UVAR options cities can combine to define consistent and robust sustainable mobility strategies.

Impacts of health care service changes implemented due to COVID-19 on children and young people with long-term disability: A mapping review.

To identify the research on childhood disability service adaptations and their impact on children and young people with long-term disability during the COVID-19 pandemic. A mapping review was undertaken. We searched the World Health Organization Global COVID-19 database using the search terms 'children', 'chronic/disabling conditions', and 'services/therapies'. Eligible papers reported service changes for children (0-19 years) with long-term disability in any geographical or clinical setting between 1st January 2020 and 26th January 2022. Papers were charted across the effective practice and organization of care taxonomy of health system interventions and were narratively synthesized; an interactive map was produced. Reduction of face-to-face care and usual provision had a huge impact on children and families. Adoption of telehealth provided continuity for the care and management of some conditions. There was limited evidence of changes to mental health services, transitions of care, social care, or child-reported satisfaction or acceptability of service changes. The long-term impacts of service change during the pandemic need full evaluation. However, widespread disruption seems to have had a profound impact on child and carer health and well-being. Service recovery needs to be specific to the individual needs of children with a disability and their families. This should be done through coproduction to ensure that service changes meet needs and are accessible and equitable.

Graduate Student Orientation:

This study surveyed graduate student orientation programming (GSOP) professionals (n = 33) on the current programmatic landscape for graduate orientation to build a taxonomy of interventions. The results indicate that GSOP addresses campus logistics and interpersonal belonging more frequently than institutional belonging, academic acculturation, or adjustment for students’ supporters. Additionally, orientation professionals were not involved in GSOP. Implications for practice are presented.

A mixed-methods systematic review of nurse-led interventions for people with multimorbidity.

To identify types of nurse-led interventions for multimorbidity and which outcomes are positively affected by them. Mixed-methods systematic review following the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) methods for convergent-integrated reviews. CRD42020197956. Cochrane CENTRAL, CINAHL, Embase and MEDLINE were searched in October 2020. Grey literature sources included OpenGrey, the Journal of Multimorbidity and Comorbidity and reference mining. English-language reports of nurse-led interventions for people with multimorbidity were included based on author consensus. Two reviewers performed independent quality appraisal using JBI tools. Data were extracted and synthesized using a pre-existing taxonomy of interventions and core outcome set. Twenty studies were included, with a median summary quality score of 77.5%. Interventions were mostly case-management or transitional care interventions, with nurses in advanced practice, support to self-manage conditions, and an emphasis on continuity of care featuring frequently. Patient-centred outcomes such as quality of healthcare and health-related quality of life were mostly improved, with mixed effects on healthcare utilization, costs, mortality and other outcomes. Interventions such as case management are agreeable to patients and transitional care interventions may have a small positive impact on healthcare utilization. Interventions include long-term patient management or short-term interventions targeted at high-risk junctures. These interventions feature nurses in advanced practice developing care plans in partnership with patients, to simplify and improve the quality of care both in the long and short-term. This is the first mixed-methods review which includes all types of nurse-led interventions for multimorbidity and does not focus on specific comorbidities or elderly/frail populations. Using adapted consensus-developed frameworks for interventions and outcomes, we have identified the common features of interventions and their overall typology. We suggest these interventions are of value to patients and healthcare systems but require localization and granular evaluation of their components to maximize potential benefits.

Reconstructing Higher Education in the Post-COVID-19 Period: A Lesson from Zimbabwe Open University

This study sought to determine potent policy tools which can be utilized as levers in reconstructing higher education landscapes that have been devastated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Three key participants were purposivelselected for the in-depth interviews of the study. The sample consisted of a former minister of Higher and Tertiary Education in Zimbabwe and two current Regional Directors of Zimbabwe Open University (ZOU) from Harare and Bulawayo regions. The study utilized the qualitative case study research design and a literature review to collect data to address the research question. The concept of hard and soft policy instruments and the Intervention Taxonomy were utilized as conceptual guides in data collection and the interpretation of results. The study results reveal that serious resistance to curriculum change and innovation in higher education can be overcome through the effective use of policy instruments. Policy tools can be utilized effectively and efficaciously to scale implementation barriers such as entrenched elitist cultures and practices, which are characteristic of higher education landscapes. More precisely, the study discovered that prudent and innovative application of a mix of hard and soft policy tools or instruments could effect sustainable and durable change. In view of this, the study recommends the use of policy tools as key levers in transforming and reconstructing higher education curricula and systems worldwide.

How participatory arts can contribute to Dutch older adults’ wellbeing – revisiting a taxonomy of arts interventions for people with dementia

ABSTRACT Background A growing body of evidence suggests the positive impact of arts on health and wellbeing. The mechanisms underlying the impact however, remain overlooked. Methods 38 Semi-structured interviews were held with 30 older adults and 10 artists, involved in five participatory art projects in the Netherlands. Case-based framework and cross-over analyses were done on the basis of Cousins et al.’s taxonomy. Results Participatory art initiatives contributed to the wellbeing of older adults in a complex interplay with the artist, art form, group of participants, material aspects and continuity of activities. A welcoming environment appeared a consistent underlying mechanism for participants to grow on a personal and artistic level, connect with others and feel supported in their psychosocial wellbeing. Conclusion This article demonstrates the important social function participatory art can have for older adults, and argues for the importance of a thorough consideration of the context wherein underlying mechanisms and outcomes emerge.