PREVENTION AND MANAGEMENT OF CHD IN WOMEN--A CD ROM

The purpose of this SBIR is to develop an interactive CD-ROM for health professionals on the topic of coronary heart disease (CHD) in women The major risk factors for CHD are now well-characterized and their association with CHD is known to vary by gender. Most current-prevention strategies and clinical recommendations are still based on the male presentation of CHD. Up to date information on the prevention, diagnosis, and management of CHD in women will be included on the CD-ROM. The CD-ROM program will teach physicians and other health professionals to identify CHD risk factors in women and to implement appropriate prevention strategies. Learning the necessary diagnostic and treatment skills when caring for female patients who are either at risk for CHD or present with signs/symptoms of CHD will also be a focus of the CD-ROM. During Phase I we plan to -refine and operationalize the algorithmic formulation developed by Douglas and Ginsburg (1996) -present a "talking heads" discussion by leaders in the field - produce a working CD-ROM prototype capable of accessing information via the Internet -evaluate the effectiveness of the CD-ROM prototype with physician participants -develop a plan for Phase Il during which the disc content will be finalized. PROPOSED COMMERCIAL APPLICATION: With no competing CD-ROM products that provide information about the prevention and management of coronary heart disease in women and strong market potential in the healthcare field, the proposed product has excellent commercial viability. Collaboration with SilverPlatter, the world's leading producer and distributor of educational CD-ROMs to physicians, ensures that this product will be aggressively marketed and widely distributed.