Czaja, Sara J.

Abstract More than 6 million adults in the United States are affected by Alzheimer’s Disease and related dementias (ADRD), the majority of whom rely on assistance from an unpaid caregiver (family, friends). The goal of the 2021 Conference on Engaging Family and Other Unpaid Caregivers of Persons with Dementia in Healthcare Delivery, funded by the National Institute on Aging, was to establish a policy- and practice-aligned research agenda for enhancing ADRD caregiver engagement and support in healthcare settings. The Conference convened multidisciplinary thought leaders from across the United States to establish a set of actionable recommendations to advance the field. Recommendations centered on five key topics: 1) Identification and assessment of ADRD caregivers, 2) Reimbursement and financing for provider time spent on ADRD caregiver, identification, assessment, and support, 3) ADRD caregiver training and support, 4) Healthcare provider education, and 5) Technology. To support future work in each of the five priority areas, conference participants highlighted the importance of leveraging lessons from implementation science and models of equity and inclusion. Recommendations are intended to inform federal agencies and foundations about high-priority areas and motivate multidisciplinary collaborations to design care delivery systems that effectively engage and support ADRD caregivers.

The National Academies Board on Human Systems Integration (BOHSI) has organized this session exploring the state of the art and research and design frontiers relating to the application of Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies to Healthcare. Advances in AI, machine learning, and robotics promise to revolutionize access to and quality of healthcare. At the same time lessons learned from earlier applications of AI technologies suggest a need to carefully consider the user and use context and the need for effective human-machine teaming design to avoid brittle systems that fail to be used or worse that negatively impact patient safety. The Panel brings together prominent researchers from both the Human Factors and Computer Science and AI communities to discuss promising applications, challenges and short-falls and ways forward for achieving the promise of enhanced delivery of health care through application of AI technologies.