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P3‐343: Driving with Dementia: a Collaborative International Knowledge Synthesis to Update Clinical Guidelines for Physicians
Author(s) -
Chee Justin N.,
Rapoport Mark J.,
Carr David B.
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
alzheimer's and dementia
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 6.713
H-Index - 118
eISSN - 1552-5279
pISSN - 1552-5260
DOI - 10.1016/j.jalz.2016.06.2008
Subject(s) - dementia , rigour , guideline , knowledge translation , medical education , inclusion (mineral) , table (database) , systematic review , medicine , psychology , medline , knowledge management , computer science , political science , data mining , disease , pathology , social psychology , geometry , mathematics , law
nization, the Alzheimer’s Association, is at a crossroads. The organization has always tried to serve a multi-faceted purpose, including cure and care orientations, but national governance is now restructuring the organization to focus on national priorities. In response, local chapters have raised concerns over how this centralization affects their abilities to respond to local needs, such as ongoing efforts of patient and caregiver advocacy, education, and support. This study asks whether the emergence of competing priorities of the national organization (such as organizational cohesion and a national research agenda) and of local chapters (such as local autonomy and dedication to community services) represents a deinstitutionalization of the Alzheimer’s field. Methods:Advocacy organizations largely use electronic means to communicate: the publication of mission statements, briefs, memos, and press releases via their web sites. These public statements and publications served as data sources for this study. Analytical methods consist of network analysis and content analysis, which are conducted in an effort to understand how the trajectory of the priorities across the field may be changing.Results:Many local chapters’ public statements are showing departure from the national organization as they seek to retain autonomy and flexibility. Several chapters of the national organization have elected to cut ties with the national organization entirely, becoming their own entities, including major and founding chapters like New York, Los Angeles, and others. Others, however, have published statements in support of the national organization’s mission and efforts. Conclusions: As the national Alzheimer’s Association reshapes itself, individual chapters with differing priorities or a dedication to greater autonomy are cutting ties, indicating that the more centralized structure of the national organization may actually result in decentralizing the overall field of Alzheimer’s advocacy and research.