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We are delighted to announce the launch of our first collection ‘Ageing Populations’ on HRB Open Research. Eamon O’Shea, Professor of Economics at National University of Galway, Ireland, tells us about the new collection, which provides a hub for related articles on ageing covering a broad scope of outputs that includes PPI, medical gerontology, neurodegenerative research, economics of ageing and health policy.

Value of the new collection for researchers

The new collection shines a light on age-related health research nationally and internationally. Existing research on ageing in Ireland is fragmented, with articles appearing in many different peer-reviewed international journals. Having a collection of papers on age-related topics in one place demonstrates scale and substance, reflecting an increasing interest in the topic among HRB grant holders.

The collection will encourage others to think about publishing on ageing issues, particularly those within multidisciplinary teams spanning the basic sciences, clinical sciences and the social sciences. The collection will also enhance economic and social research on ageing, which is not as well developed as clinical research, as well as encourage a specific focus on disadvantaged and excluded groups within the ageing sector, for example people with dementia and people with intellectual disabilities.

More generally, HRB Open Research provides dissemination opportunities for emerging researchers in the ageing field, who may not always find it easy to find a credible publication outlet for their research.

Publishing on HRB Open Research

Submitting our own work on personhood to HRB Open Research was an easy decision. We chose the HRB Open Research platform because the process from submission to publication is quick, straight forward and professional. Open access research has the potential for a stronger relationship between publication and impact across practice and policy domains. The open access model and transparent processes used by HRB Open Research means that anyone can read our work and the associated reviews from peers without restriction.  

A major part of our research programme at NUI Galway is the relationship between personhood and resource allocation decision-making in dementia. Personhood is about ensuring that a person with dementia is always treated as a person first and foremost, with dignity and respect and in a manner that supports their sense of self.

Personhood is, however, poorly understood in the health and social care system. Therefore, it was important that our work reached a wide and varied audience, thereby allowing maximum exposure to the concept of personhood among all stakeholders and key decision-makers in the ageing field.

The fact that HRB Open Research accepts protocols was also very helpful. Having our work on personhood assessed by stellar international reviewers in an open and insightful manner was very beneficial to the lead author and PhD candidate Niamh Hennelly. The review process instilled confidence in relation to methodology and direction to the systematic analysis that followed. The synthesis work is important as it allow us to understand what matters most to people with dementia, especially in relation to their personhood. This understanding is crucial to informing decisions around care provision, care design and funding for dementia.

Benefits of the HRB Open Research’s model

HRB Open Research supports many article types which enables sharing of any results quickly. All types of papers are published regardless of their outcome or potential importance or impact. The results of HRB-funded research, be they research articles, negative/null results, case reports, small findings or the data underlying their results, can all find a home on HRB Open Research.

Reviews are open and add to the credibility of the work. In our case, having two of the world’s leading experts  on personhood – Steven Sabat and Deborah O’Connor – critique our work on personhood, was both humbling and exhilarating, raising the standard of our work then and into the future.

Reviewers also receive credit for their work and reviews are fully citable. Equally important for transparency is the fact that the underlying data is included with each published paper, where appropriate, providing a much more complete picture for the reader, including the potential for the replication of results.

Ageing Populations collection

The first collection of papers on ageing reflect an eclectic approach to the curation, covering training, education, protocols, practice and policy-making in relation to the care of older people in Ireland. O Donnell et al., are concerned with the development of an educational tool which will promote an understanding of the Assisted Decision-Making (Capacity) Act 2015 among health care professionals working in acute care settings. Knowledge of the Act among health and social care providers is absolutely essential to ensure that the rights of vulnerable older adults are protected and that full enactment is achieved.

Ní Shé et al., focus on the care of frail older patients in acute care settings. The authors provide a protocol for a systematic approach to improving care for frail older patients. Nasser et al., measure the oral health status of community dwelling adults aged 50 years and over in Ireland using longitudinal data from the Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing (TILDA). The results suggest an improvement in oral health status of community-dwelling older adults over time.

Cleary et al., also make use of TILDA longitudinal data to examine visual impairment and dual sensory impairment among older adults with an intellectual disability (ID) living in Ireland. Their analysis suggests that the burden of sensory impairment increases with ID and with the level of ID. Hennelly et al., reflect on personhood in dementia care, outlining a protocol for the systematic analysis of research in this area, based on the perspective of people with dementia.

If you are HRB funded grantee and are interested in submitting to the Ageing Populations collection please submit here– we’d love to feature your work!

Upcoming collections

We will soon be launching our second collection, which will be on Trials Methodology. So, keep your eyes peeled for our next blog from collection advisor Sandra Galvin, Programme Manager for the Health Research Board –Trial Methodology Research Network.

Do you have an idea for a collection on HRB Open Research? This can be content related to a specific community, institution or research area. We welcome all suggestions, so please send us your ideas at info@hrbopenresearch.org