Development of a Novel Clinical Decision Support System for Exercise Prescription Among Patients With Multiple Cardiovascular Disease Risk Factors

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors cluster in an individual. Exercise is universally recommended to prevent and treat CVD. Yet, clinicians lack guidance on how to design an exercise prescription (ExR(x)) for patients with multiple CVD risk factors. To address this unmet need, we developed a novel clinical decision support system to prescribe exercise (prioritize personalize prescribe exercise [P3-EX]) for patients with multiple CVD risk factors founded upon the evidenced-based recommendations of the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) and American Heart Association. To develop P3-EX, we integrated (1) the ACSM exercise preparticipation health screening recommendations; (2) an adapted American Heart Association Life’s Simple 7 cardiovascular health scoring system; (3) adapted ACSM strategies for designing an ExR(x) for people with multiple CVD risk factors; and (4) the ACSM frequency, intensity, time, and time principle of ExR(x). We have tested the clinical utility of P3-EX within a university-based online graduate program in ExR(x) among students that includes physicians, physical therapists, registered dietitians, exercise physiologists, kinesiologists, fitness industry professionals, and kinesiology educators in higher education. The support system P3-EX has proven to be an easy-to-use, guided, and time-efficient evidence-based approach to ExR(x) for patients with multiple CVD risk factors that has applicability to other chronic diseases and health conditions. Further evaluation is needed to better establish its feasibility, acceptability, and clinical utility as an ExR(x) tool.