Patients who have experienced an acute coronary syndrome and undergone a percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) are among those at highest risk of further events.
For these individuals, effective secondary prevention is essential. While clear clinical practice guideline targets exist for lipid levels, blood pressure, and lifestyle changes, many patients struggle to achieve these goals in daily life.
This gap between what we know works and what happens in practice continues to limit progress in cardiovascular care. The Improve Outcomes project is designed to bridge this gap, supporting patients and their healthcare teams in turning evidence-based recommendations into real, lasting health improvements.
The Improve Outcomes App
The goal of this project is to develop a novel app to accompany ACS patients following PCI.
The app would use a digital-twin-inspired approach to create and maintain an individualised digital health profile for each patient, integrating relevant clinical data, cardiovascular risk factors, medications, and health behaviours. This patient-specific representation supports personalised risk estimation, guideline-based recommendations, and what-if simulations that illustrate how selected changes may influence the patient’s estimated cardiovascular risk. The app would also provide medication reminders, behaviour-change guidance, and clear visualisations of progress and the potential impact of health-related choices in a user-friendly format.
A collaborative, multidisciplinary approach
The Improve Outcomes project is an ESC Fund project and brings together clinicians, patients, innovation specialists, and public health stakeholders to ensure the app is clinically relevant, technically robust, and truly patient-centred.
Measurable outcomes
The Improve Outcomes project aims to:
- Increase the proportion of patients reaching guideline targets
- Improve long-term outcomes after ACS
- Support scalable, digital-enabled care pathways
- Generate insights to inform future cardiovascular care
- Increase patient satisfaction and awareness
- Decrease hospitalisations
Project phases
Phase 1: App Development and Testing (April 2026 to February 2027)
Phase 1 focuses on developing and testing the AI-enabled app, ensuring it is accessible, culturally appropriate, and free for patients worldwide. This is important for ESC Fund supported projects as we seek to close the gaps and address inequalities in cardiovascular care where it is needed most.
Phase 1 of this project has been made possible thanks to the generous support of the Novo Nordisk Foundation, reinforcing a shared commitment to strengthening global cardiovascular research capacity.
Members of the Improve Outcomes steering committee at the kick off meeting this April in London
Phase 2: Pilot Randomised Clinical Trial (2027 to 2029)
We will test the app’s effectiveness in helping patients achieve lipid management targets in a real-world setting. This phase is open to funding.
Phase 3: Large-Scale, Multi-Country Pragmatic Trial (2029 to 2033)
The final phase will evaluate the app’s impact on long-term outcomes and health equity across multiple countries. This phase is open to funding.
Join us as a philanthropic partner
We invite philanthropic partners to join us in advancing to Phase 2 of the Improve Outcomes project. Your support will help us deliver innovative, evidence-based solutions that can transform lives and reduce inequalities in cardiovascular health. Together, we can ensure that every patient has the opportunity to achieve their best possible outcome.
Contact us : philanthropy@escardio.org
What is ESC Fund?
ESC Fund was created by the European Society of Cardiology to address inequalities in cardiovascular health by transforming scientific knowledge into practical, accessible solutions at scale, because we believe that heart health is a right, not a privilege.
By mobilising philanthropic partners and the ESC global community, ESC Fund ensures that innovation leads to real-world improvements in patient care. More about ESC Fund.