Cardiac rehabilitation for women across the lifespan

Area of Science:

• Cardiology
• Preventive Medicine
• Health Services Research

Background:

• Cardiac rehabilitation (CR) improves outcomes for cardiovascular disease (CVD) patients.
• CR is significantly underutilized across all patient demographics.
• Female CVD patients are disproportionately under-referred to CR compared to males.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review the barriers hindering female patients' participation in cardiac rehabilitation.
• To identify opportunities for increasing the uptake and benefits of CR among women.
• To address the underutilization of CR in female cardiovascular disease patients.

Main Methods:

• Literature review focusing on barriers to CR for female patients.
• Analysis of factors contributing to underutilization in women.
• Synthesis of strategies to enhance CR participation and benefits.

Main Results:

• Underutilization of CR in women stems from multiple factors.
• Barriers include lack of standardized referral, physician/patient misconceptions, and female-specific pathophysiology.
• Age, socioeconomic status, and sex-specific roles further exacerbate under-referral.

Conclusions:

• Systemic and individual factors limit female access to CR.
• Targeted interventions are needed to overcome barriers and improve CR utilization in women.
• Increased CR participation can enhance outcomes for female cardiovascular disease patients.