Mapping to Virtual International Care Homes Trials Archive (VICHTA)

VICHTA is a comprehensive repository that gathers and provides access to individual participant data from randomized controlled trials conducted in care home settings since 2010, spanning various health conditions impacting older individuals, enabling secondary analyses and informing the design of future studies. By mapping the identified research priorities to the VICHTA dataset, researchers aim to leverage the wealth of information already available within VICHTA to address or supplement the prioritized research questions. This mapping ensures future research aligns with existing datasets, optimizing resources and potentially uncovering insights from the wealth of information contained in the VICHTA database.

 

Mapping to other data sources

Apart from VICHTA, we will explore and identify additional external data sources that could contribute valuable information to address the prioritized research questions. One such dataset is the VIVALDI project, but we will search for other relevant care home datasets, databases, or sources of information that provide complementary insights or enhance the overall robustness of the research. The goal is to create a comprehensive approach to data collection by integrating multiple sources, ensuring a well-rounded and thorough exploration of the research topics.

 

Primary data collection needed

While leveraging existing datasets like VICHTA and other external sources is valuable, there may be instances where certain research questions cannot be adequately addressed through pre-existing data. In such cases, primary data collection becomes essential. Primary data collection ensures researchers obtain targeted and up-to-date information to address aspects of the research that may not be covered by existing datasets.