Open science in dementia care embedded pragmatic clinical trials.

Abstract

Few dementia care interventions have been translated to healthcare contexts for those who need them. Embedded pragmatic clinical trials (ePCTs) are one design that can expedite the timeframe of research translation to clinical practice. As the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and other funders commit immense new resources to increasing the nation’s capacity to conduct dementia care ePCTs, we call on psychologists to employ their extensive expertise in open science to improve the quality of dementia care ePCTs. This article provides several recommendations to enhance the transparency and reporting rigor of ePCTs in dementia care and other chronic disease contexts. We illustrate these recommendations in the context of a recent pilot pragmatic trial known as the Porchlight Project. Porchlight provided training to volunteers who serve clients and caregivers to help them provide more “dementia capable” support. Notably this trial did not include a special effort to make use of open science practices. We discuss the benefits and costs had the Porchlight Project incorporated open science principles.

Do caregiver interventions improve outcomes in relatives with dementia and mild cognitive impairment? A comprehensive systematic review and meta-analysis.

“…In this connection, an open science approach may facilitate replications (Stine-Morrow, 2022). A number of recommendations have been proposed to improve transparency, openness and reproducibility (Baker et al, 2022; Nosek et al, 2015). These include preregistration; transparency of design, research materials, data and analysis; broadening citations to data sources, programming codes and so on; and journal policies supporting replication studies.…”

Introduction to the special issue on transparency, replicability, and discovery in the psychological science of adult development and aging.

“…They detail how the World Health Organization principles for good clinical practice were implemented for quality control in data collection and data sharing practices in ACTIVE and argue that many of these practices can be adopted in single labs for more robust science. Next, Baker et al (2022) discuss how transparent processes can enhance rigor in embedded pragmatic clinical trials (ePCTs), trials conducted within clinical or community settings (e.g., dementia care units, volunteer programs) to test the effectiveness of interventions. ePCTs offer particular challenges for controlled observations, but exceptional promise for translation to other settings.…”