Developing and testing a web-based platform for antiretroviral therapy (ART) adherence support among adolescents and young adults (AYA) living with HIV

Objective

Describe the development and testing of a web-based platform for antiretroviral treatment (ART) adherence support among HIV+ adolescents and young adults (AYA) in a randomized controlled trial (RCT).

Methods

A seven-member multi-disciplinary team operationalized the flat, password protected, web-based platform. Manualized protocols guided the objectives and content for each of the eight web-based sessions. Team members evaluated usability and content validity. Client satisfaction and perceived ease of use was evaluated with the first ten HIV+ AYA participants.

Results

The web-based platform was developed, evaluated, refined, implemented and pilot tested between September 2020 to April 2022. Usability was rated as high; the evaluation of content validity showed an excellent fit between session content and objectives. HIV+ AYA participants (mean age = 24.2 years) were satisfied with the quality, type, and amount of support/education received, and found the platform easy to use, operate, and navigate. Average time spent per session was 6.5 min.

Conclusion

Findings support the usability, validity, acceptability, and feasibility of this web-based platform for ART adherence support among HIV+ AYA.

Innovation

Our research and findings are responsive to research gaps and the need for transparency in the methodological development and testing of web-based control arms for ART adherence support among HIV+ AYA.

Piloting a complex intervention to promote a tobacco and alcohol-free pregnancy: the Smoke and Alcohol Free with EHealth and Rewards (SAFER) pregnancy study

BACKGROUND

Tobacco smoking and alcohol consumption before and during pregnancy increase the risk of adverse health outcomes for mother and child. Interventions to address smoking and drinking before and during pregnancy have the potential to reduce early-life health inequalities. In the Smoke and Alcohol Free with EHealth and Rewards (SAFER) pilot study we aimed to evaluate the acceptability, feasibility and effectiveness of a complex intervention supporting women in smoking and alcohol cessation before and during pregnancy.

METHODS

From February 2019 till March 2021, we piloted the SAFER pregnancy intervention among pregnant women and women planning pregnancy in South-West Netherlands in an uncontrolled before-after study. Participants were supported in smoking and alcohol cessation via up to six group sessions and an online platform. In addition, biochemically validated cessation was rewarded with incentives (i.e. shopping vouchers) amounting up to 185 euros. We aimed to include 66 women. The primary outcome was smoking and/or alcohol cessation at 34-38 weeks of gestation (if pregnant) or after six group sessions (if not pregnant). Quantitative data were analysed using descriptive statistics. Focus group interviews among those involved in the study were conducted at the end of the study to explore their experiences. Qualitative data was analysed using thematic analysis.

RESULTS

Thirty-nine women who smoked were included; no women who consumed alcohol were referred to the study. Unemployment (51%), financial problems (36%) and a smoking partner (72%) were common. Thirteen women (33%) dropped out, often due to other problems impeding smoking cessation or 'being too busy' to participate in the group sessions. Eleven women (28%) had quit smoking at the study's endpoint. The personal and positive approach was highly valued and biochemical validation was felt to be helpful.

CONCLUSION

The SAFER pregnancy intervention seems appropriate for women in need of extra support for smoking cessation before and during pregnancy. Its impact on alcohol cessation could not be studied due to recruitment issues. Recruitment and prevention of early dropout need attention in further development of this intervention.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

Netherlands Trial Register: NL7493. Date registered: 04/02/2019.

IPOscore: An interactive web-based platform for postoperative surgical complications analysis and prediction in the oncology domain

BACKGROUND

The performance of traditional risk score systems to predict (post)-operative outcomes is limited. This weakness reduces confidence in its use to support clinical risk mitigation decisions. However, the rapid growth of health data in the last years offers principles to deal with some of these limitations. In this regard, the data allows the extraction of relevant information for both patients stratification and the rigorous identification of associated risk factors. The patients can then be targeted to specific preoperative optimization programs, thus contributing to the reduction of associated morbidity and mortality.

OBJECTIVES

The main goal of this work is, therefore, to provide a clinical decision support system (CDSS) based on data-driven modeling methods for surgical risk prediction specific for cancer patients in Portugal.

RESULTS

The result is IPOscore, a single web-based platform aimed at being an innovative approach to assist clinical decision-making in the surgical oncology domain. This system includes a database to store/manage the clinical data collected in a structured format, data visualization and analysis tools, and predictive machine learning models to predict postoperative outcomes in cancer patients. IPOscore also includes a pattern mining module based on biclustering to assess the discriminative power of a pattern towards postsurgical outcomes. Additionally, a mobile application is provided to this end.

CONCLUSIONS

The IPOscore platform is a valuable tool for surgical oncologists not only for clinical data management but also as a preventative and predictive healthcare system. Currently, this clinical support tool is being tested at the Portuguese Institute of Oncology (IPO-Porto), and can be accessed online at https://iposcore.org.

MiDSystem: A comprehensive online system for de novo assembly and analysis of microbial genomes

The substantial reduction in experimental cost of next-generation sequencing techniques makes it feasible to assemble a bacterial genome of unknown species de novo and acquire substantial genetic information from environmental samples. Many bioinformatics tools and algorithms have also been developed for prokaryotes, but complex parameter settings and command line-based user interfaces cause a significant entry barrier for novices. Efficient construction of pipelines that integrate all the available genomic data poses a major challenge to the understanding of unknown pathogens. MiDSystem is a comprehensive online system for analyzing genomic data from microbiomes. With a user-friendly interface, MiDSystem supports both de novo assembly and metagenomic analysis pipelines. It is designed to automatically analyze whole genome shotgun sequencing data of bacteria submitted by users. Multiple analytical steps can be performed directly on the system, and the results generated from the embedded tools are visualized in an online summary report to make it more interpretable. Constructing a genome de novo has gradually become the foundation of bacterial studies. Taking both single species and metagenomic samples into consideration, MiDSystem can greatly reduce the time and effort for analysis of bacterial genomic data. Use of MiDSystem will enable more focus to be placed on understanding the etiology of bacterial infections and microorganism ecologies.

The feasibility of home self-assessment of vital signs and symptoms: A new key to telehealth for individuals?

Objective

During the COVID-19 pandemic, social distancing and self-isolation called for innovative, readily implementable, and effective short-term health solutions. The objective of this study was to assess the feasibility of self-assessment of vital signs and symptoms with electronic transmission of results, by self-isolating individuals with positive SARS-CoV-2 polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test. The secondary objective was to describe the association between the presence of abnormal vital signs and severe symptoms as well as their evolution over time.

Method

Participants with positive SARS-CoV-2 PCR test were asked to perform twice daily standardized vital signs measurements and self-assessment of symptoms for 14 consecutive days. All data were transmitted electronically through a mobile application and a web-based platform. Participants were provided with decision support tools based on the severity of their condition and a weekly nurse practitioner telephone follow-up. Abnormal values for vital signs and severe symptoms were determined. Per participant and per days, proportions of abnormal vital signs and severe symptoms were calculated.

Results

Data from 46 participants (mean age 54.1 ± 6.9 years, 54% male) were available for analysis. On average, participants performed the standardized self-assessment for 12.3 ± 3.4 days (89% performed at least 7 measurement days and 61% completed all 14 days). The highest proportions abnormal values for vital signs were for oximetry (20.1%) and respiratory rate (12.1%). The highest proportions of severe symptoms were for fatigue (16.9%) and myalgia. (10.2%). The combined proportion of abnormal vital signs and severe symptoms was maximal on day 1 with 20.3% of total measurements, with a linear decrease to 3.5% on day 14.

Conclusion

Remote initiation of home measurements of vital signs and symptoms, self-management of these measures, accompanied by a decision support tool and supported by preplanned nurse follow-up are feasible. This could allow to opening up new insight for the care of sick individuals.

WebFRIS: An efficient web-based decision support tool to disseminate end-to-end risk information for flood management

The present study describes the development of a web-based flood risk information system 'WebFRIS' for Jagatsinghpur district, a severely flood-prone region in Eastern India. The WebFRIS is designed by using various readily available open-source web tools and packages such as Google Map, PHP, MySQL, and JSON. Special emphasis is directed towards designing the layout and architecture, to be easily accessible by any end-user irrespective of any technical know-how. The WebFRIS illustrates spatial maps of flood hazard, socio-economic vulnerability, and flood risk at the village level for two-time scenarios. While analyzing a set of graphical statistics depicting the changes in flood risk components, a significant increase in high and very-high categories of both flood hazard (~140%) and socio-economically vulnerable villages (~68%) is noticed during Scenario-I. The number of villages facing compound risk (contributed equally by flood hazard and socio-economic vulnerability) nearly doubled in Scenario-I. A spatial analysis of diametric changes in flood risk shows that a large proportion of villages in Balikuda, Ersama, and Tirtol tehsils have undergone radical changes. Following these observations, a set of possible engineering, social, and policy measures are proposed, whose implementation in the near future is expected to reinforce flood management in the study area. The WebFRIS architecture is flexible, easy-to-use; it is expected to provide crucial lessons to the local bodies, town-planners, water professionals, flood experts, and also the citizens, a precious knowledge on flood risk management. The WebFRIS may be considered as a precious cartographic product for environmental management. The proposed web platform is generic, as it can be applied to study other inter-related systems such as environmental protection, land-use planning, coastal habitat restoration, and community resilience building.

PerFECT 2.0: A Web-Based Platform Designed to Facilitate and Support the Diagnosis of Patients with Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis in Italy

Introduction

Timely and accurate diagnosis of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is challenging, requiring specific tests including chest high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT), and limited by access to specialist centres with a multidisciplinary team (MDT). Here we describe PerFECT 2.0, an Italian web-based platform designed to create a network between tertiary centres with an MDT (hubs) and secondary centres (spokes), aiming to facilitate the diagnosis of IPF.

Methods

PerFECT 2.0 went live on 1 November 2016. Spoke centres submit anonymised documentation (HRCT images, pathological samples, clinical data) for a second opinion on the potential diagnosis of IPF from a hub centre. HRCT images are quickly uploaded, with patient-identifying information automatically removed. The hub centre views documentation online (no downloads allowed), makes any further information requests, then returns their second opinion as free text. An e-learning area contains educational material and simulated training clinical cases. Metrics were collected for 2017–2019; a user survey was conducted from 30 June–31 July 2020.

Results

Ten hub centres and 137 spoke centres have registered. The requests for a second opinion numbered 251 in 2017, 270 in 2018 and 265 in 2019 (overall mean 19.9 requests per month). The proportion of requests answered was 100.0% (251) in 2017, 100.0% (270) in 2018 and 97.7% (259) in 2019. The mean response time was 15.7 days. In the user survey, of nine hub responders and 19 spoke responders, 78% and 74%, respectively, reported that the platform is easy to use, and 100% and 89%, respectively, would recommend the platform to colleagues.

Conclusion

The PerFECT 2.0 web-based platform has created a network that enables secondary centres to gain quick and easy access to a second opinion from a tertiary centre with an MDT through online evaluation of anonymised documentation, thereby facilitating and supporting the timely and accurate diagnosis of IPF.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s41030-021-00155-8.

A web-based platform to accommodate symptoms of anxiety and depression by featuring social interaction and animated information in patients undergoing lumbar spine fusion: a randomized clinical trial

BACKGROUND

Approximately one-third of patients undergoing spine surgery have symptoms of anxiety and depression that correlate with pain, disability, and lower health-related quality of life. The use of web-based informative strategies before surgery and principles from cognitive behavioral therapy, have been applied in other patient groups, facilitating mobility and encouraging beneficial coping behavior.

PURPOSE

To examine the effect of a web-based Spine Platform featuring Interaction and Information by Animation (w-SPIINA) on symptoms of anxiety and depression, pain, disability, and health-related quality of life.

STUDY DESIGN

A single-center, two-arm, randomized controlled trial PATIENT SAMPLE: One hundred fourteen consecutive patients scheduled for instrumented lumbar spine fusion due to degenerative disc disease or spondylolisthesis.

OUTCOME MEASURES

Primary outcome was the change in self-reported Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) scores from baseline to 3-month follow-up. Secondary outcomes were change in HADS 1-day before surgery 2days and 6 months after and changes in self-reported disability measured on the Oswestry disability index (ODI), quality of life (EQ-5D-5L questionnaire), and the low back pain rating scale (LBPRS) 2days and 3 and 6 months after surgery.

METHOD

Patients were randomized to either a control group receiving a standard information regimen or an intervention group gaining access to w-SPIINA in addition to the standard regimen. The independent charity Helsefonden contributed $45,000, the Health Research Fund of the Regional Hospital Central Jutland contributed $10,000, and the Toyota foundation contributed $10,000 to remunerate a dedicated investigator. The authors have no conflict of interest to declare.

RESULTS

There was no statistically significant difference within the w-SPIINA group and the control group regarding changes in HADS at 3-month follow-up (p≥.37). Approximately 40% reached minimum clinically important difference (MCID) in the w-SPIINA group on the HADS at 3 months. In the control group 50% reached MCID on anxiety subscale and 35% on the depression subscale at 3 months. No statistically significant differences were found between groups with regard to the overall outcomes at any of the predefined time points.

CONCLUSION

Providing patients with access to w-SPIINA in addition to a standard information regimen had no additional effect on HADS and patient-reported outcomes1day before, 2days, 3 or 6 months after surgery. However, a high compliance and degree of interaction with w-SPIINA indicates that this mode of web-based support could be applicable in this group of patients.

An eHealth Program for Patients Undergoing a Total Hip Arthroplasty: Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial

Background

Total hip arthroplasty is an effective surgical procedure commonly used worldwide for patients suffering the disabling effects of osteoarthritis when medical therapy is unsuccessful. Traditionally pre- and postoperative information for patients undergoing a hip arthroplasty has been provided by paper-based methods. Electronic health (eHealth) programs to support individualized patient education on preoperative preparation, in-patient care, and home rehabilitation have the potential to increase patient engagement, enhance patient recovery, and reduce potential postoperative complications.

Objective

The aim of this study is to compare the addition of an eHealth program versus standard care for pre- and postoperative education on patient outcomes for primary total hip arthroplasty.

Methods

One hundred patients undergoing a primary elective total hip arthroplasty will be recruited from a metropolitan hospital in Western Australia to participate in a 6-month parallel randomized control trial. Participants will be randomized to either the standard care group (n=50) and will be given the education booklet and enrolled to attend a 1-hour education session, or the intervention group (n=50), and will receive the same as the standard care plus access to an eHealth program titled “My Hip Journey.” The eHealth program encourages the patient to log in daily, from 2 weeks prior to surgery to 30 days postsurgery. The information on the platform will be aligned with the patient's individual surgical journey and will include exercises to be completed each day for the duration of the program. The primary outcome measure is the Hip Dysfunction and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score, version LK 2.0. Secondary outcome measures include the EuroQoL EQ-5D-5L, a 5-level 5-dimension quality of life measure, and the Self-Efficacy for Managing Chronic Disease Scale. Data will be collected at pre-admission (presurgery) and at 6 weeks, 3 months, and 6 months postsurgery. A patient satisfaction survey will be completed 6 weeks postsurgery and Web-based analytics will be collected 6 months postsurgery. A cost-effectiveness analysis, using the intention-to-treat principle, will be conducted from the hospital’s perspective.

Results

Enrollment in the study commenced in January 2018 with recruitment due for completion towards the end of the year. The first results are expected to be submitted for publication in 2019.

Conclusions

The outcomes and cost of using an eHealth program to support a patient’s recovery from a hip arthroplasty will be compared with standard care in this study. If the eHealth program is found to be effective, further implementation across clinical practice could lead to improvement in patient outcomes and other surgical areas could be incorporated.

Trial Registration

Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry (ANZCTR) ACTRN12617001433392; https://www.anzctr.org.au/Trial/Registration/TrialReview.aspx?id=373657&isReview=true (Archived by WebCite at http://www.webcitation.org/6yzoTuggx).

Registered Report Identifier

RR1-10.2196/9654

Discovery of Surface Target Proteins Linking Drugs, Molecular Markers, Gene Regulation, Protein Networks, and Disease by Using a Web-Based Platform Targets-search

Integration and analysis of high content omics data have been critical to the investigation of molecule interactions (e.g., DNA-protein, protein-protein, chemical-protein) in biological systems. Human proteomic strategies that provide enriched information on cell surface proteins can be utilized for repurposing of drug targets and discovery of disease biomarkers. Although several published resources have proved useful to the analysis of these interactions, our newly developed web-based platform Targets-search has the capability of integrating multiple types of omics data to unravel their association with diverse molecule interactions and disease. Here, we describe how to use Targets-search, for the integrated and systemic exploitation of surface proteins to identify potential drug targets, which can further be used to analyze gene regulation, protein networks, and possible biomarkers for diseases and cancers. To illustrate this process, we have taken data from Ewing's sarcoma to identify surface proteins differentially expressed in Ewing's sarcoma cells. These surface proteins were then analyzed to determine which ones were known drug targets. The information suggested putative targets for drug repurposing and subsequent analyses illustrated their regulation by the transcription factor EWSR1.

The impact of an innovative web-based school nutrition intervention to increase fruits and vegetables and milk and alternatives in adolescents: a clustered randomized trial

Background

The increase in overweight and obesity in adolescents and its health-related consequences highlight the need to develop strategies, which could help them adopt healthy eating habits. The objective of this study was to evaluate the impact of an innovative web-based school nutrition intervention (Team Nutriathlon) aimed at promoting the consumption of vegetables and fruit (V/F) and milk and alternatives (M/A) in high school students and to identify facilitators and/or barriers influencing its success.

Methods

Ten classes of first and second year secondary students (grades 7 and 8) from the Québec City region were randomized into two groups (control n = 89 and intervention n = 193). Participants in the intervention (Team Nutriathlon) were to increase their consumption of V/F and M/A using an innovative web-based platform, developed for this study, over 6 weeks. The control group followed the regular school curriculum. The number of servings of V/F and M/A consumed by students per day was compared between the two groups before, during, immediately after and 10 weeks after the intervention using a web-based platform. Main outcome measures included V/F and M/A servings and facilitators and/or barriers of program success. Repeated measures linear fixed effects models were used to assess the impact of Team Nutriathlon on V/F and M/A consumption. A P-value of <0.05 was considered significant.

Results

Students in the intervention reported a significant increase of 3 servings and 1.8 servings per day of V/F and M/A, respectively, compared to the control group (P < 0.05); however, this was only observed in the short-term. Some factors contributing to the success of Team Nutriathlon included the team aspect of the program, use of the technology and recording results outside of classroom hours.

Conclusion

Team Nutriathlon represents an innovative web-based nutrition program which positively impacts V/F and M/A consumption among high school students. Using web-based or technological platforms may help youth adopt healthy eating habits that will have implications later in adulthood; however, further studies are needed to determine their long-term effects.

Trial registration

NCT03117374 (retrospectively registered).

The Effect of Integration of Self-Management Web Platforms on Health Status in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Management in Primary Care (e-Vita Study): Interrupted Time Series Design

Background

Worldwide nearly 3 million people die from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) every year. Integrated disease management (IDM) improves quality of life for COPD patients and can reduce hospitalization. Self-management of COPD through eHealth is an effective method to improve IDM and clinical outcomes.

Objectives

The objective of this implementation study was to investigate the effect of 3 chronic obstructive pulmonary disease eHealth programs applied in primary care on health status. The e-Vita COPD study compares different levels of integration of Web-based self-management platforms in IDM in 3 primary care settings. Patient health status is examined using the Clinical COPD Questionnaire (CCQ).

Methods

The parallel cohort design includes 3 levels of integration in IDM (groups 1, 2, 3) and randomization of 2 levels of personal assistance for patients (group A, high assistance, group B, low assistance). Interrupted time series (ITS) design was used to collect CCQ data at multiple time points before and after intervention, and multilevel linear regression modeling was used to analyze CCQ data.

Results

Of the 702 invited patients, 215 (30.6%) registered to a platform. Of these, 82 participated in group 1 (high integration IDM), 36 in group 1A (high assistance), and 46 in group 1B (low assistance); 96 participated in group 2 (medium integration IDM), 44 in group 2A (high assistance) and 52 in group 2B (low assistance); also, 37 participated in group 3 (no integration IDM). In the total group, no significant difference was found in change in CCQ trend (P=.334) before (–0.47% per month) and after the intervention (–0.084% per month). Also, no significant difference was found in CCQ changes before versus after the intervention between the groups with high versus low personal assistance. In all subgroups, there was no significant change in the CCQ trend before and after the intervention (group 1A, P=.237; 1B, P=.991; 2A, P=.120; 2B, P=.166; 3, P=.945).

Conclusions

The e-Vita eHealth-supported COPD programs had no beneficial impact on the health status of COPD patients. Also, no differences were found between the patient groups receiving different levels of personal assistance.

Trial Registration

Netherlands Trial Registry NTR4098; http://www.trialregister.nl/trialreg/admin/rctview.asp?TC=4098 (Archived by WebCite at http://www.webcitation.org/6sbM5PayG)

High Level of Integration in Integrated Disease Management Leads to Higher Usage in the e-Vita Study: Self-Management of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease With Web-Based Platforms in a Parallel Cohort Design

Background

Worldwide, nearly 3 million people die of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) every year. Integrated disease management (IDM) improves disease-specific quality of life and exercise capacity for people with COPD, but can also reduce hospital admissions and hospital days. Self-management of COPD through eHealth interventions has shown to be an effective method to improve the quality and efficiency of IDM in several settings, but it remains unknown which factors influence usage of eHealth and change in behavior of patients.

Objective

Our study, e-Vita COPD, compares different levels of integration of Web-based self-management platforms in IDM in three primary care settings. The main aim of this study is to analyze the factors that successfully promote the use of a self-management platform for COPD patients.

Methods

The e-Vita COPD study compares three different approaches to incorporating eHealth via Web-based self-management platforms into IDM of COPD using a parallel cohort design. Three groups integrated the platforms to different levels. In groups 1 (high integration) and 2 (medium integration), randomization was performed to two levels of personal assistance for patients (high and low assistance); in group 3 there was no integration into disease management (none integration). Every visit to the e-Vita and Zorgdraad COPD Web platforms was tracked objectively by collecting log data (sessions and services). At the first log-in, patients completed a baseline questionnaire. Baseline characteristics were automatically extracted from the log files including age, gender, education level, scores on the Clinical COPD Questionnaire (CCQ), dyspnea scale (MRC), and quality of life questionnaire (EQ5D). To predict the use of the platforms, multiple linear regression analyses for the different independent variables were performed: integration in IDM (high, medium, none), personal assistance for the participants (high vs low), educational level, and self-efficacy level (General Self-Efficacy Scale [GSES]). All analyses were adjusted for age and gender.

Results

Of the 702 invited COPD patients, 215 (30.6%) registered to a platform. Of the 82 patients in group 1 (high integration IDM), 36 were in group 1A (personal assistance) and 46 in group 1B (low assistance). Of the 96 patients in group 2 (medium integration IDM), 44 were in group 2A (telephone assistance) and 52 in group 2B (low assistance). A total of 37 patients participated in group 3 (no integration IDM). In all, 107 users (49.8%) visited the platform at least once in the 15-month period. The mean number of sessions differed between the three groups (group 1: mean 10.5, SD 1.3; group 2: mean 8.8, SD 1.4; group 3: mean 3.7, SD 1.8; P=.01). The mean number of sessions differed between the high-assistance and low-assistance groups in groups 1 and 2 (high: mean 11.8, SD 1.3; low: mean 6.7, SD 1.4; F1,80=6.55, P=.01). High-assistance participants used more services (mean 45.4, SD 6.2) than low-assistance participants (mean 21.2, SD 6.8; F1,80=6.82, P=.01). No association was found between educational level and usage and between GSES and usage.

Conclusions

Use of a self-management platform is higher when participants receive adequate personal assistance about how to use the platform. Blended care, where digital health and usual care are integrated, will likely lead to increased use of the online program. Future research should provide additional insights into the preferences of different patient groups.

Trial Registration

Nederlands Trial Register NTR4098; http://www.trialregister.nl/trialreg/admin/rctview.asp?TC=4098 (Archived by WebCite at http://www.webcitation.org/6qO1hqiJ1)

CAROTID - a web-based platform for optimal personalized management of atherosclerotic patients

Carotid atherosclerosis is the main cause of fatal cerebral ischemic events, thereby posing a major burden for public health and state economies. We propose a web-based platform named CAROTID to address the need for optimal management of patients with carotid atherosclerosis in a twofold sense: (a) objective selection of patients who need carotid-revascularization (i.e., high-risk patients), using a multifaceted description of the disease consisting of ultrasound imaging, biochemical and clinical markers, and (b) effective storage and retrieval of patient data to facilitate frequent follow-ups and direct comparisons with related cases. These two services are achieved by two interconnected modules, namely the computer-aided diagnosis (CAD) tool and the intelligent archival system, in a unified, remotely accessible system. We present the design of the platform and we describe three main usage scenarios to demonstrate the CAROTID utilization in clinical practice. Additionally, the platform was evaluated in a real clinical environment in terms of CAD performance, end-user satisfaction and time spent on different functionalities. CAROTID classification of high- and low-risk cases was 87%; the corresponding stenosis-degree-based classification would have been 61%. Questionnaire-based user satisfaction showed encouraging results in terms of ease-of-use, clinical usefulness and patient data protection. Times for different CAROTID functionalities were generally short; as an example, the time spent for generating the diagnostic decision was 5min in case of 4-s ultrasound video. Large datasets and future evaluation sessions in multiple medical institutions are still necessary to reveal with confidence the full potential of the platform.