2009 — 2010 |
Carpenter, Brian D |
R03Activity Code Description: To provide research support specifically limited in time and amount for studies in categorical program areas. Small grants provide flexibility for initiating studies which are generally for preliminary short-term projects and are non-renewable. |
Disclosing a Dementia Diagnosis: Analysis of a Triadic Healthcare Encounter
DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The overarching goal of the proposed study is to improve communication among clinicians, patients, and family caregivers about a diagnosis of dementia. Specific aims. 1) Characterize physician, patient, and companion behaviors during a dementia diagnosis disclosure encounter, using standardized interaction analysis systems. 2) Identify features of the diagnostic disclosure encounter that predict subsequent depression, anxiety, satisfaction, and diagnostic comprehension in patients and companions. 3) Compare features of the diagnostic disclosure encounter across different levels of patient dementia severity. Design and methods. 90 videotapes of diagnostic disclosures were collected as part of another study. In the current study these videotapes will be coded using two standardized interaction analysis systems. Physician, patient, and companion behaviors from the coded interactions will be used to predict subsequent patient and companion psychological distress, satisfaction, and diagnostic comprehension. Rationale. Results from this project can guide the development of empirically-based clinical practice guidelines and educational materials for physicians, patients, and family members to help them have productive conversations about a dementia diagnosis. These conversations are essential to short-term and long-term psychological adjustment and practical adaptation to the demands of the disease. Health relatedness/Relevance to agency. This project will generate basic empirical data regarding triadic healthcare interactions, with clinical implications for the ways in which clinicians and healthcare consumers talk about dementia. Thus, the project is the type of applied science that fulfills the mission of the National Institute on Aging to improve the health and well-being of older adults. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: Relevance to public health. When physicians tell patients and family members about a dementia diagnosis, the conversation needs to be emotionally supportive but also clear about the facts. Results from this study will suggest effective ways to talk about a dementia diagnosis. The goal is to help patients and family members understand what the diagnosis means so that they can make informed decisions about next steps in managing the disease.
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0.958 |
2018 — 2021 |
Carpenter, Brian D |
R25Activity Code Description: For support to develop and/or implement a program as it relates to a category in one or more of the areas of education, information, training, technical assistance, coordination, or evaluation. |
Enhancing Undergraduate Preparation For Research in Aging and Neurologic Diseases
PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT In the decades ahead, demographic trends suggest that the sheer number of older adults will increase, and they will make up a larger proportion of the overall population. Consequently, we will need an expanding cadre of scientists and professionals specifically trained to generate new knowledge about aging and best practices for providing services for older adults. To address this need, we will conduct an eight-week Summer Undergraduate Research Experience in Aging and Neurologic Diseases at the Harvey A. Friedman Center for Aging at the Institute for Public Health at Washington University. The program will 1) provide undergraduate students with an intensive experience that exposes them to the full continuum of research activities and teaches them generalizable research skills, and 2) frame the research training in the context of aging and neurological disorders that are common across the lifespan, particularly in later life. These two goals address the need to cultivate the next cohort of researchers while at the same time addressing the urgent workforce shortage of scientists and scholars familiar with the issues of an aging society. Up to 10 undergraduate students each year will be matched with an individual faculty member whose research focuses on one of three neurological conditions (stroke, Parkinson's disease, and dementia) or who conducts research on interventions that are relevant for individuals with these conditions (e.g., home modifications, increasing re- engagement in valued activities). Students will also gather for weekly seminars that will expose them to a multidisciplinary perspective on aging and older adults, teach them introductory research skills, foster an understanding of the research process and its implications, and encourage their professional growth and momentum toward further training. With this program we aim to recruit and engage trainees from diverse backgrounds and disciplines, which reflect the multidisciplinary approach necessary to advance research on the prevention and treatment of neurologic disorders among older adults and nurture their interest in pursuing academic and professional opportunities in the sciences and research.
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0.958 |