JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

Health check-up programs in China reach millions of older adults for cardiovascular risk screening, but few effective mechanisms exist to ensure high-risk individuals receive follow-up preventive care.

Objective:

We developed a CardioCare System, a digital tool integrating a 10-year cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk prediction model with personalized health management features, to address this gap.

Methods:

The CardioCare System was used in a hospital-based health check-up center. The system incorporates an established 10-year CVD risk model to estimate risk. We conducted preliminary usability testing at a health check-up center in Guangzhou. Older adults identified as high-risk (≥10% 10-year CVD risk) were given personalized feedback and invited to a CVD management clinic.

Results:

The CardioCare System was successfully implemented, automatically stratifying CVD risk for each check-up attendee and generating patient-specific recommendations. The CVD risk model integration functioned without major technical issues, although minor performance delays were identified and resolved, and providers reported that the tool was user-friendly and fit smoothly into clinic workflow. However, patient engagement was low: of 1,675 high-risk individuals invited for follow-up care, only 146 (8.7%) attended at least one in-person visit at the clinic. Feedback from the patients who engaged was positive regarding the clarity of risk information and advice, but the low response rate indicated significant barriers to uptake.

Conclusions:

This study demonstrated technical feasibility of integrating a digital risk assessment and management system into a health check-up setting. Yet, the low response to follow-up invitations highlights a critical challenge in patient engagement, likely reflecting broader issues in post-screening care-seeking. Further development will focus on enhancing patient outreach and usability.