Abstract
Background: Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death worldwide.1 Unfortunately, CVD risk assessment and management (RAM) services face many challenges and barriers in the community. Mobile technology offers the opportunity to empower patients and improve access to health prevention strategies to overcome these barriers.2 The purpose of this study was to pilot test the Arabic and English versions of the EPIRxISK™ CVD risk calculator in the public sector. Methods: Pilot testing of an Arabic and English version of the online application EPIRxISK™ for CVDRAM (Figure 1) was done by potential users from a sample consisting of the general population and pharmacists attending community pharmacies. Participants’ feedback was gathered in a qualitative interview which was recorded and transcribed for quality assurance and review by the research team. Responses from all interviews were analyzed and recommendations were made to finalize the application before phase II of the study. In phase II, quantitative and qualitative methods will be utilized to assess the feasibility of implementing a community pharmacy-based CVD risk assessment program using the English and Arabic versions of the EPIRxISK™ online application. Results: In phase I, a total of 9 pharmacists from community pharmacies and 5 general participants from the general population were interviewed. As shown in Table 1, the analysis of the interviews resulted in themes related to five frameworks: engagement, functionality, aesthetics, information, and subjective quality. Overall, the themes demonstrated acceptance and satisfaction with the features of the application. Phase II is currently in progress. Conclusion: The overall results of this study are indicative that the use of the EPIRxISK™ application for CVDRAM may be of benefit in Qatar, considering it is the first available in the Arabic language. The tool is likely well equipped to support continuous and standardized CVDRAM in Qatar's primary care sector.3
Highlights
ResultsCardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death worldwide
Over the past two decades, it has been recognized that in order to decrease the burden associated with CVD, it is necessary to shift the focus from treatment to prevention
To pilot test the English (Figure 1a) and Arabic (Figure 1b) versions of the EPIRxISKTM CVD risk calculator. This pilot study involved two key phases: Phase 1 focused on the translation of the EPIRxISK tool into Arabic, and Phase 2 focused on pilot testing the web and mobile application with pharmacists and individuals accessing community pharmacy services
Summary
Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death worldwide. Over the past two decades, it has been recognized that in order to decrease the burden associated with CVD, it is necessary to shift the focus from treatment to prevention. The World Health Organization (WHO) has recommended a comprehensive CVD risk assessment and management (RAM) approach away from the traditional management of risk factors in isolation. This approach has been challenging to implement in the community. EPIRxISKTM CVD risk calculator provides an individualized and interactive process to estimate CVD risk based on a person’s risk factors and comorbidities. EPIRxISKTM uses three validated risk equations (Framingham, UKPDS and SMART) to estimate CVD risk, and is available on the web and as a mobile application. To pilot test the English (Figure 1a) and Arabic (Figure 1b) versions of the EPIRxISKTM CVD risk calculator
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
