JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a major global health challenge, with the number of affected individuals projected to approach approximately 592 million by 2050. Primary healthcare institutions bear substantial responsibility for COPD screening, diagnosis, and follow-up, but often face underdiagnosis, fragmented information systems, and workforce constraints. Although digital health and artificial intelligence (AI) have shown potential in COPD management, workflow-integrated solutions tailored to primary care remain limited.

Objective:

To describe a designathon-based co-creation process and the subsequent development of an early-stage prototype of an AI-enabled digital workflow for COPD screening and follow-up management in primary care.

Methods:

This descriptive process and prototype development study followed WHO practical guidance on crowdsourcing and designathons in health research. It comprised three phases: (1) an online open call (July 22 to August 1, 2025) soliciting ideas related to AI-assisted chronic disease management and digitalized follow-up care; (2) a 3-day in-person designathon in Guangzhou involving 23 participants from five stakeholder groups (primary care physicians, implementation science scholars, AI engineers, patient representatives, and chronic disease management specialists) who worked in five interdisciplinary teams using user journey mapping and structured co-creation activities; and (3) a post-designathon translation phase in which co-created deliverables were synthesized into an early-stage WeChat Mini Program prototype named FeiChangShun. Expert rubric scoring was used to assess team deliverables generated during the designathon.

Results:

The online open call received 26 submissions, 25 of which met eligibility criteria. During the designathon, five priority pain points were identified: data silos and interoperability barriers, training–practice disconnect, communication barriers, human resource shortages, and low disease awareness. The five teams generated differentiated workflow concepts and corresponding user journey maps to address these challenges. Drawing on these co-created outputs, the research team developed an early-stage prototype comprising five core modules: voice interaction support, health education support, behavior management support, standardized workflow support, and draft document/report generation.

Conclusions:

This study reports a structured designathon-based co-creation process and the development of an early-stage, guideline-informed workflow prototype for COPD management in primary care. Future studies should evaluate the prototype with end users and assess implementation feasibility, safety, and clinical impact in real-world settings.