Cardiac rehabilitation in the United Kingdom. How complete is the provision?

Area of Science:

• Cardiology
• Public Health
• Health Services Research

Background:

• Cardiac rehabilitation (CR) is crucial for patient recovery.
• Understanding the current landscape of CR services in the UK is essential for service planning and improvement.

Purpose of the Study:

• To provide an updated overview of UK cardiac rehabilitation units.
• To detail the staffing, services offered, patient demographics, and diagnoses treated within these units.
• To assess the enrollment rates of specific patient groups into CR programs.

Main Methods:

• A questionnaire survey was distributed to identify and gather data from UK CR centers.
• Data collected included center operational status, staff disciplines, patient numbers and diagnoses, and outcome measurement practices.
• Response rates and data completeness were analyzed to determine the scope of findings.

Main Results:

• 286 CR centers were identified, with 236 responding to the survey.
• 171 centers provided data on patient numbers and diagnoses, treating a total of 32,499 patients.
• The primary patient diagnoses were myocardial infarction (63%), coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) (25%), and percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA) (4%).
• Exercise testing was performed pre- and post-program by 34% of responders, and 66% measured patient outcomes.

Conclusions:

• The study estimates that 14-23% of myocardial infarction patients, 33-56% of CABG patients, and 6-10% of PTCA patients in the UK are enrolled in CR programs.
• These figures highlight potential gaps in CR service accessibility and uptake for different cardiac patient populations.
• The findings underscore the need for continued monitoring and potential expansion of CR services nationwide.