A new Scientific American (SA) article special issue highlights the 12 recommendations of an Institute of Medicine (IOM) report, Promoting Cardiovascular Health in the Developing World: A Critical Challenge to Achieve Global Health, published in 2010.
DCP3 series editor and Project Director Dr. Rachel Nugent was a member of the committee that prepared the report and expounds on recommendation 9 in the special issue. In her commentary, Dr. Nugent and her co-author, Celina Gorre, suggest that case studies in select countries could lead to more detailed and useful analyses for decision makers in low- and middle-income countries, and urge countries to define resource needs by using the most up-to-date data about in-country capacity.
Promoting Cardiovascular Health in the Developing World was edited by Valentin Fuster, Jagat Narula, Rajesh Vedanthan, and Bridget B. Kelly.
About the IOM Committee
Cardiovascular disease and related non-communicable 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. The 12 feature articles provide concrete examples of programs that are working effectively on the ground, reflect on global progress made—and define a way forward.