In the paper "A Consumer Driven Research Agenda to Study Nursing Homes/Assisted Living Facilities and the COVID-19 Pandemic" published in March 2021, author Alice H. Hedt, MUA, convened advocates for long-term care consumers to identify research areas based on what they heard from consumers and witnessed themselves prior to and during the early months of the pandemic.
The advocates identified four major areas:
Factors that impacted resident and staff infection and death rates;
Federal and state government policies;
Facility specific policies and procedures in response to COVID-19; and
The resident experience including impacts on family, friends, and staff.
This consumer-driven research could influence policy makers and providers at every level in short-term and long term decisions.