Transforming dementia research into practice: A multiple case study of academic research utilization strategies in Dutch Alzheimer Centers

Abstract

Background Non-pharmacological dementia research products generated in traditional university settings, such as social and behavioral interventions, often experience challenges to impact practices that they were developed for. The Netherlands established five specialized academic health science centers, referred to as Alzheimer Centers, to structurally coordinate and facilitate the utilization of dementia research knowledge. This study leverages implementation science to systematically explore the research utilization strategies used by academic researchers from each Alzheimer Center, based on the ‘knowledge-to-action’ (KTA) framework, which includes knowledge creation, adaptation, dissemination, and implementation. Methods Individual semi-structured qualitative interviews were conducted with 29 respondents across the five Alzheimer Centers in the Netherlands, selected through purposive (snowball) sampling. Interviews were conducted in-person and virtually through Microsoft Teams, and all were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim. Data analysis was guided by the dimensions of the KTA framework. Result There was a high variation in the strategies used across the five Alzheimer Centers to bring non-pharmacological dementia research into practice, and selected strategies in each Center were influenced by the typology of research products produced and the Centers’ organizational heritage. The knowledge creation and adaptation phases were mainly facilitated by funders’ guidance toward research impact and research product co-creation with patients and implementing organizations. Dissemination and implementation phases were often facilitated through utilizing support from university-based technology transfer offices to facilitate implementation and valorization and establishing and strategically leveraging formal infrastructure, such as public-private partnerships and professional collaborative networks. Conclusion Successful research utilization requires evolving researcher competencies to meet environmental demands and facilitating co-creation with research end-users and implementing partners. Understanding external determinants influencing research utilization in the Dutch dementia research ecosystem is crucial for capacity-building and aligning cross-sector agendas. The KTA framework appears to reveal the intricacies of research utilization, guiding future studies to explore strategies employed across various contexts.