Cardiovascular disease and related noncommunicable diseases were once considered a problem that only wealthy, industrialized nations faced. Together, they now rank as the leading cause of death across the globe. The vast majority of those deaths—more than 80 percent—occur in low- and middle-income countries. To address this massive global health problem, the U.S. Institute of Medicine formed a committee to create a set of tangible recommendations that would catalyze and focus action. In this special issue, Promoting Cardiovascular Health Worldwide, some of the world's foremost authorities on cardiovascular disease elaborate on the Institute of Medicine's 12 recommendations.
Collaborative Practice Agreements and Pharmacists’ Patient Care Services: A Resource for Government and Private Payers
Pharmacists can improve patients’ health and the health care delivery system if they are part of the patient’s health care team. One way to meet this goal is with a collaborative practice agreement (CPA) between pharmacists and other health care providers.1
Patient care services provided by pharmacists can reduce fragmentation of care, lower health care costs, and improve health outcomes.
Read more from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
State Law Factsheet: Select Features of State Pharmacist Collaborative Practice Laws
Hypertension and hyperlipidemia, two leading risk factors of cardiovascular disease, each a ect 1 in 3 US adults.1,2 Hypertension, also known as high blood pressure, is a leading cause of employee absence and lower on-the-job productivity, costing the U.S. economy $51 billion annually, including $3.5 billion in lost productivity costs and $47.5 billion in direct medical expenses.3 Fewer than half (46.5%) of people with hypertension and a third (33.2%) of people with hyperlipidemia have their condition under control.
Read more from CDC Division of Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention
Integrated Management of Cardiovascular Risk: Report of a WHO Meeting
Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a leading cause of mortality and is respon- sible for one-third of all global deaths. Nearly 85% of the global mortality and disease burden from CVD is borne by low- and middle-income countries. In India, for example, approximately 53% of CVD deaths are in people young- er than 70 years of age; in China, the corresponding figure is 35%. The major- ity of the estimated 32 million heart attacks and strokes that occur every year are caused by one or more cardiovascular risk factors – hypertension, diabe- tes, smoking, high levels of blood lipids, and physical inactivity – and most of these CVD events are preventable if meaningful action is taken against these risk factors. Regrettably, CVD prevention too frequently focuses on single risk factors, rather than on comprehensive cardiovascular risk.