The National Dementia Workforce Study (NDWS)

The National Dementia Workforce Study (NDWS), sponsored by the NIH National Institute on Aging, is fielding the first large, nationally representative surveys of the professional dementia care workforce in the United States. NDWS surveys physicians, advanced practice providers, nurses, direct care workers, and other health care professionals who provide care to persons living with dementia (PLWD) to understand the composition and training of this large and diverse workforce.

Survey data have the potential for linkage with a host of other data sources, including beneficiary-level Medicare claims or county-level health care resources, to create an unprecedented data resource. The NDWS data infrastructure will provide a foundation for researchers and policymakers to generate insights into how workforce factors impact patient care and outcomes.