Abstract Background and aims Risk factor management is central to stroke care, with up to 90% of strokes potentially preventable through risk factor control. This is particularly relevant for transient ischemic attack (TIA) patients, who face elevated risk of recurrent events and remain free of lasting deficits, presenting a critical window for secondary prevention. Effective risk factor modification through treatment adherence and behavior changes requires that patients understand their personal risk, but current clinical practice communicates risk information primarily through discharge documentation not designed for patient comprehension. At the same time, there is an increasing patient demand for transparent, personalized health information. This gap may undermine patient engagement in secondary prevention. I aim to design a personalized, graphical risk visualization for TIA patients that supports shared decision-making and can be used longitudinally to track risk factor modification. Methods I propose a visualization as a printable graphic encoding modifiable risk factors in a compact heatmap format. Visual properties i.e. size and shading of graphical elements represent each factor's relative importance and the individual patient's current level relative to guideline targets. All variables are easily derived from routine stroke unit workup. The format is designed to be easily reproducible and immediately interpretable without requiring detailed medical knowledge. Development consists of a design phase with iterative refinement of the visualization, followed by a pilot phase generating personalized visualizations for TIA patients at the Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin stroke unit with assessment of workflow integration and patient acceptability. Results Prototype in development; pilot protocol to be finalized. Conflict of interest Ela Marie Akay: nothing to disclose Figure 1 - belongs to Methods
Ela Marie Akay (Fri,) studied this question.