Welcome

Welcome to the Social Work Leadership Institute's (SWLI) Evidence Database on Aging Care (EDAC). We created this online database to help scholars, policy analysts, and advocates stay on top of the latest research and innovations in aging care, including health care and social services.

The evidence database is regularly updated by a professional staff of contributors that filters, reviews, and catalogues articles published in professional journals both in the U.S. and abroad. An advisory committee of experts in gerontology, social work research, and database methods provides consultation and assistance in the selection of topics for inclusion in the database.

The database contains both "reviewed" articles and "unreviewed" citations/abstracts of articles. The variables that are captured for a reviewed article can be examined in detail under the Methodology tab. Articles are reviewed daily and the database updated frequently. Additionally, the search engine allows a user to perform a search under either, or both, catagories.

The role and scope section below explains in detail how each topic search was performed and the expanded search features allow you to refine your search through multiple keywords, topics, outcomes, and categories.

If you have any questions about the website or the search functions please contact us using the Comments/Suggestions section.

Role and Scope of the Evidence Database

SWLI populates the evidence database with published studies and articles that inform and advance policy discussions regarding aging care and the role of social workers. Policy topics are identified by the Advisory Committee, with 2 topics currently identified. The 2 topics that populate the database are Social Work Intervention Effectiveness and Outcomes of Care Coordination for Older Adults.

The database is intended to serve an internal function for the Social Work Leadership Institute and affiliated partners but may be utlized as a resource for users outside of NYAM that are also engaged in policy advocacy for social work or other related types of psychosocial interventions for older adults.

The database is restricted to published articles reporting the results of empirical research studies. Preference for inclusion is given to articles published in peer review journals thus assuring a minimal level of quality. Because the database is designed to provide empirical support for policy development, which seeks to promote effective and cost-effective programs and services for older adults, the database primarily includes intervention studies addressing problem reduction or amelioration and prevention studies which seek to prevent a problem from occurring or to prevent further negative outcomes when problems have already emerged.

Articles included in the database that have been reviewed are catalogued along a number of dimensions so as to provide users with sufficient information to make informed assessments of the relevance, quality and outcomes of the interventions reported. Articles that do not meet minimum standards of relevance and quality are excluded from the database.

The following process is used to review the results of a search and to add an included article to the database: (please see the Methodology tab for additional, in-depth information)

• A literature search is performed on the topic selected by the advisory committee. (see topics)
• An initial assessment for relevancy of each citation retrieved is performed
• Two reviewers independently assess an article using pre-screening questions (see Methodology tab) and are then directed to complete a full review, if the study is included, under one of the following categories:
  • Experimental and quasi-experimental design review
  • Non-experimental design review
  • Synthesis review
• A third reviewer examines the review for accuracy and acts as a mediator to reconcile any issues in reporting that may have arisen during the review process

The included articles can be derived from the outcomes of either single studies or a syntheses of multiple studies. For articles reporting the outcomes of single studies using either an experimental or quasi-experimental design we use the experimental review form and for those articles using any other type of design we use the non-experimental review form. A third form, the syntheses review form, is used to report syntheses articles, such as systematic reviews. Consequently, different information is provided for each article in the database depending on the type of study. Specific selection criteria for each topic are described in the Topic section of this website.