Abstract
Background: The growing global burden of stroke requires innovative, more effective and widely available strategies for stroke prevention. Mobile technologies offer an opportunity to address these issues. In this paper we describe an E-research Programme designed to measure and reduce the global burden of stroke and other major non-communicable disorders (NCDs) entitled "Reducing the International Burden of Stroke Using Mobile Technology (RIBURST)."
Methods and results: The RIBURST project uses the Stroke RiskometerTM App developed by the National Institute for Stroke and Applied Neurosciences (AUT University, New Zealand [NZ]) in collaboration with the NZ Stroke Education (charitable) Trust and AUT Enterprises Ltd of AUT University. The Stroke RiskometerTM App is a validated tool for stroke risk prediction and prevention. Based on the Framingham stroke prediction algorithm and enhanced to include more recently identified important risk factors, the app calculates an individual’s 5 and 10-year risk of stroke with self-reported information including systolic blood pressure, diabetes mellitus, heart conditions, height, weight, cognitive decline, traumatic brain injury, past stroke, family history and demographic factors such as age, sex and ethnicity. Importantly, it also provides individually tailored recommendations for primary stroke prevention. The app has been translated into 11 of the world’s most spoken languages covering over 160 countries (5.6 billion people). The built-in research component of the free App allows users to participate in the RIBURST study. This research component represents a novel, cost-effective way for conducting large national and international observational and interventional studies.
Conclusions: The Stroke RiskometerTM App can potentially enhance the prevention of stroke and other NCDs, and represents a new mobile-technology based tool for studying NCDs in various countries and populations worldwide.