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working in both institutional and community settings.These findings present a clear picture of current knowledgeand practices. Additionally, the findings illustrate whathealthcare providers perceive to be barriers and facilitatorsto applying the sleep and dementia evidence-base to theirpractice. Finally, and very importantly, the survey highlightswhat KTE strategies healthcare providers identify as beingmost effective for helping reduce the sleep and dementiaresearch-to-action gap that currently exists.The full report reviews the background literaturehighlighting the impact of disordered sleep on dementia,outlines the study design, presents the findings of the surveyand discusses the implications of these findings. A series ofsixteen action points (Table 13 in the full report and at theend of this report) emerged to help guide further evidencebasedaction targeting the sleep and dementia KTE needs ofCanadian healthcare providers.Encouragingly, the study shows healthcare providerswant to learn more about disordered sleep and nonpharmacologicalsleep interventions. This is a key strengthupon which efforts to address sleep KTE needs of healthcareproviders can move forward and thereby improve healthand well-being of PWD and their families.Implications of the Study:• There is a research-to-knowledge gap regarding howinterventions for disordered sleep can reduce the risk orlessen the severity of dementia, possibly leading togreater independent living in the community.• Healthcare providers are not well informed aboutthe risk factors of disordered sleep in older adults withdementia.• The present practice for assessment is not routine, sleeprelated issues may be followed up if they emergein other assessments but little awareness of existing,standardized assessment exists.• Barriers and facilitators exist to incorporatingassessment and treatment of disordered sleep into thedaily practice of healthcare providers. With knowledgeof the range of facilitators and barriers KT strategiescan be selected and modified within the parameters oflocal context so as to increase the likelihood ofmeaningful change.• Healthcare providers lack awareness about thepublic health and societal implications of untreatedsleep problems in older adults with dementia.• Learning new information regarding disordered sleepneeds to be contextualized and reflect individuallearning preferences.• Healthcare providers are eager to learn aboutassessment and treatment of disordered sleep in olderadults with dementia with non-pharmacologicalmethods.This study can inform the topic by:1. Targeting specific areas within and across healthcareprofessions where information is significantly lacking.2. Linking the recommendations to build on the existingstrengths of healthcare providers.Our findings align with the Canadian Institute for HealthResearch (CIHR) Knowledge-to-Action Cycle andparticularly the taxonomy of barriers and facilitators forknowledge use that Légare developed based on his reviewof the extant KT conceptual models. These foundationalworks helped us identify the key findings from our surveyas they relate to the goal of recommendations to increasehealthcare providers’ knowledge and use of NPSI forpersons with dementia. nSummary of Action Points to ImproveSleep and Dementia KTE Outcomes:• Build sleep problem screening and advocacycapacity in the healthcare providers who spend themost time with persons with dementia.• Make sleep a higher priority topic for education ofhealthcare providers.• Educate healthcare providers about the effectof caregiver beliefs and co-morbid conditions ondisordered sleep for persons with dementia.• Educate healthcare providers about effectivenon-drug sleep interventions.• Tailor healthcare providers’ education to fill thespecific knowledge gaps of each discipline.• Educate caregivers to facilitate a change intheir beliefs and awareness of effective non-druginterventions for disordered sleep.• Improve sleep screening and assessment by: 1)embedding sleep-related questions in genericelder-care screening tools, and 2) improving accessto appropriate sleep assessment tools.• The priority requirements for delivering effectiveknowledge translation strategies to reduce theresearch-to-practice gap are:a. Customize to local context.b. Incorporate a range of formats for learners’preferences.c. Develop strategies based on an awareness oforganizational culture.d. Respect and build on prior knowledge.e. Avoid ageist assumptions of communicationmethods.f. Focus on evidence-based principles forincreased health literacy.g. Focus on practicality of the information.These recommendations can be applied by policymakers and healthcare educators to develop specificeducational strategies and care guidelines to improvehealthcare providers’ ability to provide the best,research informed, care for older adults living withsleep problems and dementia.For a full copy of the report and references go tohttp://www.sleep-dementia-resources.ualberta.caand click on the “new” button on the home page.24 care | volume 27 issue 1