Research Priorities Relevant to Dementia Care in Long-Term Care Facilities: A Scoping Review of Dementia Research Priority-Setting Exercises.

BACKGROUND

The number of people with dementia (PwD) being cared for in long-term care (LTC) facilities is rising. As this population grows, user-centered, innovative research to improve care practices and outcomes is critical. However, the extent to which research priorities specifically addressing the care of PwD in LTC have been identified and synthesized remains unclear.

OBJECTIVES

To synthesize research priorities reported in the dementia and LTC literature and identify those directly relevant to improving dementia care within LTC facilities.

METHODS

We searched CINAHL, MEDLINE, Embase, and Web of Science (inception-February 2026); screened in Covidence with duplicate review; and extracted verbatim priorities from formal/semiformal exercises (eg, Delphi, workshops, and expert consensus). We included priorities with a "plausible, near-term pathway" to improving daily care in LTC facilities. Thematic analysis grouped priorities.

RESULTS

Of 4407 records screened, 36 were included, yielding 601 priorities, of which 273 were considered directly relevant to improving day-to-day care and outcomes for PwD in LTC. Priorities were grouped into 13 themes, most commonly relating to care delivery, physical health, behavioral and psychological symptoms, decision-making, staff training, and end-of-life care. Many priorities are identified in existing exercises related to broader dementia research agendas or community settings rather than the specific context of LTC.

CONCLUSIONS

Research priorities relevant to PwD in LTC are identifiable within existing literature but are rarely the primary focus of priority-setting exercises. Further stakeholder-led, LTC-specific priority-setting work may help to refine and rank priorities for this population.