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A Novel Digital Platform for a Monitored Home-based Cardiac Rehabilitation Program
Published on: April 19, 2019
The Danish Cardiac Rehabilitation Database
Ann-Dorthe Zwisler1, Henriette Knold Rossau1, Anne Nakano2
1Danish Centre for Rehabilitation and Palliative Care, Odense University Hospital and University of Southern Denmark, Odense.
Insights
The Danish Cardiac Rehabilitation Database (DHRD) enhances cardiac rehabilitation (CR) for coronary heart disease (CHD) patients. It systematically monitors CR quality nationwide to improve patient outcomes.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Public Health
- Health Informatics
Background:
- Coronary heart disease (CHD) necessitates effective cardiac rehabilitation (CR).
- The Danish Cardiac Rehabilitation Database (DHRD) was established to improve CR quality for CHD patients.
- Mandatory reporting ensures comprehensive national data collection.
Approach:
- Utilizes an online system for patient-level data registration at CR entry and 6-month follow-up.
- Links patient data with central national health registers.
- Collects program-level data every three years to assess CR services.
Key Points:
- The DHRD captures data on CR referral, adherence, lifestyle factors, patient-reported outcomes, risk factor control, and medication.
- Approximately 14,000 CHD patients are hospitalized annually across 35 Danish hospitals.
- By 2015, 75% of eligible patients received outpatient CR services.
Conclusions:
- The DHRD is a national online quality improvement database for CR in patients with CHD.
- Mandatory patient and program-level data registration facilitates systematic quality monitoring.
- The DHRD aims to enhance CR quality across Denmark, ultimately benefiting patient health outcomes.
Aim Of Database:
The Danish Cardiac Rehabilitation Database (DHRD) aims to improve the quality of cardiac rehabilitation (CR) to the benefit of patients with coronary heart disease (CHD).
Study Population:
Hospitalized patients with CHD with stenosis on coronary angiography treated with percutaneous coronary intervention, coronary artery bypass grafting, or medication alone. Reporting is mandatory for all hospitals in Denmark delivering CR. The database was initially implemented in 2013 and was fully running from August 14, 2015, thus comprising data at a patient level from the latter date onward.
Main Variables:
Patient-level data are registered by clinicians at the time of entry to CR directly into an online system with simultaneous linkage to other central patient registers. Follow-up data are entered after 6 months. The main variables collected are related to key outcome and performance indicators of CR: referral and adherence, lifestyle, patient-related outcome measures, risk factor control, and medication. Program-level online data are collected every third year.
Descriptive Data:
Based on administrative data, approximately 14,000 patients with CHD are hospitalized at 35 hospitals annually, with 75% receiving one or more outpatient rehabilitation services by 2015. The database has not yet been running for a full year, which explains the use of approximations.
Conclusion:
The DHRD is an online, national quality improvement database on CR, aimed at patients with CHD. Mandatory registration of data at both patient level as well as program level is done on the database. DHRD aims to systematically monitor the quality of CR over time, in order to improve the quality of CR throughout Denmark to benefit patients.
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