Projected Costs of Informal Caregiving for Cardiovascular Disease: 2015 to 2035: A Policy Statement From the American Heart Association.

Introduction: In a recent report, the American Heart Association estimated that medical costs and productivity losses of cardiovascular disease (CVD) are expected to grow from $555 billion in 2015 to $1.1 trillion in 2035. Although the burden is significant, the estimate does not include the costs of family, informal, or unpaid caregiving provided to patients with CVD.

Clinical use of amyloid-positron emission tomography neuroimaging: Practical and bioethical considerations.

Until recently, estimation of β-amyloid plaque density as a key element for identifying Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathology as the cause of cognitive impairment was only possible at autopsy. Now with amyloid-positron emission tomography (amyloid-PET) neuroimaging, this AD hallmark can be detected antemortem. Practitioners and patients need to better understand potential diagnostic benefits and limitations of amyloid-PET and the complex practical, ethical, and social implications surrounding this new technology.

Patient and clinician views on comparative effectiveness research and engagement in research.

Aims: Describe and compare patient and primary care clinician attitudes about comparative effectiveness research (CER) and inclusion of patients and clinicians as partners in clinical research.

Materials & Methods: Online survey of patients (n = 900) and primary care clinicians (n = 750) from opt-in survey panels.

Results: Nearly half (45%) of clinicians were not familiar with CER, but after reviewing a definition of CER, most (76%) agreed that it can improve patient care.

How the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute is engaging patients and others in shaping its research agenda.

Clinical research has been driven traditionally by investigators, from generating research questions and outcomes through analysis and release of study results. Building on the work of others, the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) is tapping into its broad-based stakeholder community--especially patients, caregivers, and their clinicians--to generate topics for research, help the institute prioritize those topics, select topics for funding, and ensure patients' involvement in the design of research projects. This article describes PCORI's approach, which is emblematic of the organization's mandate under the Affordable Care Act to seek meaningful ways to integrate the patient's voice into the research process, and describes how it is being used in selection of research that PCORI will fund.

The art of sharing the diagnosis and management of Alzheimer's disease with patients and caregivers: recommendations of an expert consensus panel.

Objective: To develop a set of recommendations for primary care physicians (PCPs) suggesting how best to communicate with patients, caregivers, and other family members regarding the diagnosis and management of Alzheimer's disease (AD).

Participants: A national roundtable of 6 leading professionals involved in treating or advocating for patients with AD was convened on March 14, 2008. This roundtable included 4 leading academic physicians with diverse backgrounds (a geriatric psychiatrist, a neuropsychiatrist, a neurologist, and a geriatrician) from geographically diverse regions of the United States, who were invited on the basis of their national reputation in the field and experience working with minority populations with dementia; the executive director of a national AD advocacy organization; the executive director of a national advocacy organization for caregivers; and a medical correspondent with expertise in interviewing and small group leadership.

National Institutes of Health State-of-the-Science Conference statement: preventing alzheimer disease and cognitive decline.

The National Institute on Aging and the Office of Medical Applications of Research of the National Institutes of Health convened a State-of-the-Science Conference on 26-28 April 2010 to assess the available scientific evidence on prevention of cognitive decline and Alzheimer disease. This article provides the panel's assessment of the available evidence.

NIH state-of-the-science conference statement: Preventing Alzheimer's disease and cognitive decline.

Objective: To provide health care providers, patients, and the general public with a responsible assessment of currently available data on prevention of Alzheimer's disease and cognitive decline.

Participants: A non-Department of Health and Human Services, nonadvocate 15-member panel representing the fields of preventive medicine, geriatrics, internal medicine, neurology, neurological surgery, psychiatry, mental health, human nutrition, pharmacology, genetic medicine, nursing, health economics, health services research, family caregiving, and a public representative. In addition, 20 experts from pertinent fields presented data to the panel and conference audience.

Young adult caregivers: a first look at an unstudied population.

Objectives: We examined the prevalence, characteristics, and responsibilities of young adults aged 18 to 25 years who are caregivers for ill, elderly, or disabled family members or friends.

Methods: We analyzed 2 previously published national studies (from 1998 and 2004) of adult caregivers.

Results: Young adult caregivers make up between 12% and 18% of the total number of adult caregivers.