Cross-checked screening application for reliable categorisation of familial hypercholesterolaemia: design and development of the prototype

Abstract

The paper describes the development of a computer-based familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) screening application (FH CatScreen©). The application facilitates automatic scoring and categorisation of patients by medical practitioners based on four well-known FH diagnostic criteria. In the absence of a FH diagnostic criterion for Malaysian population, these four diagnostic criteria are commonly used criteria to classify patients FH severity levels to manage early interventions. We applied an adaptive software development approach comprising planning, development and validation phases to develop FH CatScreen©. A user study involving thirty medical practitioners was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness and usability of FH CatScreen©. The study showed that FH CatScreen© was able to provide a more correct, faster and better-informed assessment compared to the traditional paper-based method. The study further showed that FH CatScreen© has a good degree of performance and acceptance by the participants. The participants indicated that the simultaneous use of the four diagnostic criteria in FH CatScreen© has assisted them to compare the outcomes of each of the criterion side-by-side. It allowed them to decide on the severity of patient condition with high confidence. FH CatScreen© has demonstrated its expediency and efficacy in collecting the data on FH incidence and prevalence in Malaysia.