Dr. Annette Plantinga is a senior researcher within the Health and Wellbeing research group at NHL Stenden University of Applied Sciences. Her research focuses on how nurses can provide high-quality, person-centered care to people with dementia—particularly in complex care environments such as hospitals.
Plantinga obtained her PhD with research on dementia care in Dutch hospitals. In this work, she examined how nurses interact with patients with dementia, the dilemmas they encounter, and how shared decision-making with patients and their relatives can take shape in daily practice. Dementia care in Dutch hospital settings: perspectives on person-centred nursing care and shared decision-making makes an important contribution to knowledge on person-centered care in hospitals. In addition, she is developing a research line aimed at empowering healthcare professionals and informal caregivers to recognize and manage challenging behavior in people with dementia across different care domains.
Senior researcher within the Health and Wellbeing research group
Research areas:
Within the Academic Collaborative Centre for Community Nursing North, she connects practice, education, and research. She brings together community nurses, care organizations, researchers, and students around real-world questions, translating these into applicable research and education. In doing so, she contributes to knowledge development and the improvement of community nursing.
With a background as a nurse and nursing scientist, Plantinga combines practical experience with academic research. Her work demonstrates that nurses play a crucial role in recognizing the needs of people with dementia and their relatives, and in supporting shared decision-making about care and treatment.
By collaborating with healthcare organizations and researchers from other institutions, she contributes to better care for people with dementia and greater attention to person-centered decision-making in everyday care practice.
Research Group: Health and Wellfare
The research groups within Health & Welfare share a mission: children should be able to grow up healthy and safe, develop their talents, and participate in society to the best of their ability. Older people and those with disabilities should be able to live independently for as long as possible.
Projects
Expert in the media & publications
- Nurses' perceptions in caring for people with dementia in Dutch acute hospitals
Een internationaal gepubliceerd onderzoek naar de ervaringen en opvattingen van verpleegkundigen die zorg verlenen aan mensen met dementie in Nederlandse ziekenhuizen. Het onderzoek laat zien welke uitdagingen verpleegkundigen ervaren en welke kennis nodig is om goede dementiezorg te bieden.
https://doi.org/10.1111/jocn.15458 - Nurses’ perspectives on shared decision-making in the daily care of hospitalized patients with dementia
Onderzoek naar de rol van verpleegkundigen bij gezamenlijke besluitvorming met mensen met dementie en hun naasten in het ziekenhuis.
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jan.16107 - Dementie over vijftien jaar in Noord-Nederland veel groter probleem dan elders in het land
- Annette Plantinga wint proefschriftprijs Alzheimer Nederland 2025
- Dwangmiddel tentbed vaker ingezet in ziekenhuis, ‘zorg moet drastisch anders’
- Elf handvatten voor dementievriendelijke ziekenhuiszorg
- Zorg in ziekenhuis onvoldoende afgestemd op dementie