A Cluster Randomized Trial of a Telemedicine-Enabled Integrated Care Model for Stroke Prevention and Management in Rural Elderly Adults in China

May 28, 2026 updated by: Jiangsu Province (Suqian) Hospital

A Prospective, Open-Label, Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial to Evaluate the Efficacy of a Rural Doctor-Led, Telemedicine-Supported Integrated Care Model for Reducing Cardiovascular and Cerebrovascular Events in Elderly Adults at High Risk of Stroke in China

This cluster randomized controlled trial aims to evaluate the effectiveness of a novel telemedicine-enabled integrated care model led by rural doctors in reducing cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events among elderly adults (≥65 years) at high risk of stroke in rural China. A total of 39 village clinics will be randomized to either the intervention group (digital health platform-supported integrated care) or the control group (enhanced usual care). The primary outcome is a composite of cardiovascular death, stroke, and hospitalization for heart failure or acute coronary syndrome at 36 months.

Study Overview

Status

Not yet recruiting

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

Stroke is the leading cause of death and disability in China, with a disproportionately higher burden in rural areas. This study proposes a "technology-enabled, vertically integrated, pathway-integrated, performance-incentivized" care model to address the gaps in rural stroke management. The intervention group will use a dedicated digital health platform (https://ricestroke.sqfh.org.cn:8421/gp/#/login) that provides clinical decision support, remote consultation with specialists, patient follow-up reminders, and performance feedback for rural doctors. The control group will receive enhanced usual care without the digital platform. The study will enroll 2510 participants and follow them for 36 months to assess the impact of the intervention on clinical outcomes, risk factor control, and medication adherence.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

2510

Phase

  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

  • Name: Liu Qianghui Director of Suqian Hospital, Jiangsu Provincial People's Hospi
  • Phone Number: 15951598055
  • Email: jasonlion815@163.com

Study Locations

  • China
    • Jiangsu
      • Suqian, Jiangsu, China
        • Suqian Hospital Affiliated to Jiangsu Provincial People's Hospital
        • Contact:

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  1. Aged 65 years or older
  2. Rural residents with household registration or long-term residence (≥6 months/year) in the study area
  3. High risk of stroke as defined by the National Health Commission's "8+2" stroke risk screening tool: ≥3 risk factors OR history of stroke/TIA
  4. Willing to receive long-term health management from the assigned village clinic
  5. Written informed consent provided by the participant or their legal representative

Exclusion Criteria:

  1. Severe dementia or psychiatric disorder that prevents completion of study follow-up and assessments
  2. Life expectancy less than 1 year (e.g., advanced malignancy, end-stage renal disease)
  3. Currently participating in another interventional clinical trial

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Prevention
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Telemedicine-Enabled Integrated Care Group
Participants receive care from rural doctors using a dedicated digital health support platform, including monthly monitoring, personalized medication adjustment, remote specialist consultation, and structured patient education.
Behavioral: Digital Health Platform-Supported Integrated Stroke Management
Patient electronic health record management AI-powered clinical decision support for medication adjustment based on Chinese stroke guidelines Weekly remote video consultation with neurologists from tertiary hospitals Automated follow-up and medication adherence reminders Structured education and training for both rural doctors and patients
Active Comparator: Enhanced Usual Care Group
Participants receive enhanced usual care from rural doctors who have received standardized training on stroke prevention and management, without the use of the digital health platform.
Behavioral: Enhanced Usual Stroke Care
Rural doctors provide monthly face-to-face care based on national guidelines, including symptom monitoring, blood pressure measurement, medication guidance, and patient education. Referrals to tertiary hospitals are made through conventional channels.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Composite of Cardiovascular Death, Stroke, and Hospitalization for Heart Failure or Acute Coronary Syndrome at 36 Months
Time Frame: 36 months
The primary composite endpoint includes: (1) cardiovascular death; (2) first occurrence of stroke (ischemic, hemorrhagic, or undetermined type); (3) hospitalization for worsening heart failure or acute coronary syndrome. All events will be adjudicated by an independent clinical events committee blinded to treatment assignment.
36 months

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
First Recurrent Stroke Event Rate at 36 Months
Time Frame: 36 months
Time to first recurrent stroke (ischemic, hemorrhagic, or undetermined type) confirmed by CT/MRI imaging
36 months
All-Cause Mortality at 36 Months
Time Frame: 36 months
Death from any cause
36 months
Cardiovascular-Specific Mortality at 36 Months
Time Frame: 36 months
Death due to cardiovascular causes including sudden cardiac death, myocardial infarction, heart failure, and stroke
36 months
Hospitalization for Heart Failure or Acute Coronary Syndrome at 36 Months
Time Frame: 36 months
Number of participants hospitalized for worsening heart failure or acute coronary syndrome
36 months
Major Bleeding Events (ISTH Criteria) at 36 Months
Time Frame: 36 months
Number of participants experiencing major bleeding events as defined by the International Society on Thrombosis and Haemostasis (ISTH) criteria
36 months
Change in CHINA-PAR Score from Baseline to Month 12
Time Frame: Baseline, Month 12
Change in 10-year ASCVD risk percentage as calculated by the CHINA-PAR risk prediction model in participants without prior stroke history
Baseline, Month 12

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Jiangsu Province (Suqian) Hospital

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Estimated)

June 1, 2026

Primary Completion (Estimated)

December 31, 2029

Study Completion (Estimated)

June 30, 2030

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

May 28, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

May 28, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

June 5, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

June 5, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

May 28, 2026

Last Verified

May 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • RICE-STROKE-2026-001

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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