Abstracts Social Work

Liberating qualitative research findings from the dusty shelf of academia: developing a translational methodology illustrated by a case study of the experience of living with dementia.

by Marilyn Cash

Liberating qualitative research findings from the dusty shelf of academia: developing a translational methodology illustrated by a case study of the experience of living with dementia. The exponential growth of qualitative health and social care reports in recent years has generated a dialogue about the utility of qualitative research findings. The traditional methods of dissemination often result in the findings remaining on 'the shelf' with the result that they have little impact on practice, policy, or members of the public. In this study I develop a generic framework for synthesizing and communicating qualitative research findings that are already in the public arena. The framework is comprised of four stages: - Stage 1 is a strategy for identifying relevant and useful studies in the area; Stage 2 develops relevant and useful criteria for selecting studies: the quality of a study is assessed by its; substantive contribution, aesthetic merit, reflexivity, impact and expression of reality; Stage 3 draws upon the philosophy of phenomenology and hermeneutics as a way of synthesising the selected studies, providing an experiential description of the phenomenon of interest (called a structural textual synthesis). Stage 4 offers principles by which the structural textural synthesis can be transformed and communicated to lay audiences in more aesthetic and understandable ways. The above framework is applied to the phenomenon of living with dementia from the perspective of the partner with dementia and their care partner. The structural-textural synthesis is transformed into a script, which has been performed, and recorded on DVD. The transferable implications of this framework are considered for their potential to communicate qualitative research findings already in the public arena to the public in ways that facilitate understanding and empathy