In a recent article in Alzheimer’s & Dementia: Translational Research & Clinical Interventions, Alissa Bernstein, PhD, Krista Harrison, PhD, and Dan Dohan, PhD, along with their colleagues, provide an in-depth understanding of how unlicensed but expertly trained dementia care navigators, supported by a small clinical team, can use phone and web-based care navigation to address caregiver burden among caregivers of people with dementia.
More than 15 million family members or friends care for individuals with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias in the United States, which involves providing emotional, physical, and practical support. Many caregivers experience burden and resulting health effects due to the intensive nature of caregiving. Caregiver burden, which has been studied extensively in the literature, may also be a factor leading to premature institutionalization of individuals with dementia.
Read more: https://healthpolicy.ucsf.edu/using-care-navigation-address-caregiver-burden-dementia-qualitative-case-study-analysis
Timothy S. Anderson and Grace A. Lin
JAMA Intern Med. Published online June 8, 2020.
doi:10.1001/jamainternmed.2020.1588
Over the past decade, attention to overuse of testing has steadily grown, reflected by the addition of low-value care, Choosing Wisely, less is more, and cost-conscious care to the medical vernacular. Despite widespread recognition of this issue, there has been little evidence of large-scale changes in testing practices in the US. There may be many barriers to reducing overuse, including a fee-for-service payment model that disincentivizes physicians and health systems from reducing use of revenue-generating tests, a belief that more testing is beneficial, and framing of the issue as largely a problem of health care costs.
Read more: https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/fullarticle/2766913
