Related Experiment Videos
The Delivery of Cardiac Rehabilitation Using Communications Technologies: The "Virtual" Cardiac Rehabilitation
1Faculty of Health Sciences, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada, Division of Cardiology, Providence Health Care, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, and Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada.
Insights
Virtual cardiac rehabilitation (CR) offers a solution to low attendance by overcoming geographical barriers. This approach uses technology to deliver CR remotely, improving accessibility for cardiovascular disease patients.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Digital Health
- Health Services Research
Background:
- Cardiac rehabilitation (CR) is vital for cardiovascular disease (CVD) patients, reducing mortality and future events.
- Geographical inaccessibility limits CR program attendance to less than 10% of eligible patients.
- High internet and mobile phone penetration in Canada presents an opportunity for remote healthcare solutions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the evidence on virtual cardiac rehabilitation (vCR) programs.
- To assess the feasibility, patient acceptance, and clinical outcomes of vCR.
- To inform the future development and implementation of vCR.
Main Methods:
- Narrative review of studies on virtual CR.
- Inclusion of feasibility studies, pilot projects, and randomized controlled trials.
- Analysis of various communication technologies (telephone, internet, text messaging, smartphones).
Main Results:
- Early studies show patient willingness and acceptance of vCR.
- Small randomized trials indicate potential positive effects on clinical outcomes.
- vCR utilizes affordable communication technologies to bridge geographical distances.
Conclusions:
- Virtual CR demonstrates promise in overcoming attendance barriers for cardiovascular disease patients.
- Further research and development are needed to integrate vCR into standard healthcare.
- vCR leverages technology to improve access to essential cardiac care.
Abstract:
Cardiac rehabilitation (CR) programs are a proven therapy for patients with cardiovascular disease, reducing future cardiac events and premature mortality. However, as little as 10% of eligible patients attend these programs, with a key reason being geographical inaccessibility. In Canada, more than 90% of Canadians have Internet access, and there are approximately 31 million cell phone subscribers, with these numbers expected to continue to increase. The proliferation of these affordable communications technologies has opened up opportunities for patient communication while bridging geographic distance. This has led to the development of "virtual" CR that can be remotely conducted, reaching patients in their homes and communities. These programs have used a range of technologies such as telephone, Internet, text messaging, and smartphones. Early research has focused on acceptance of use and feasibility in pilot studies, indicating patient willingness for use. More recently, a number of small, randomized trials have been conducted indicating potential positive effect on various clinical outcomes. This narrative review highlights the evidence to date on the use of virtual CR, using a variety of affordable communications technologies from early feasibility studies to modest randomized controlled trials. Finally, lessons from previous studies are discussed to help inform the development and testing of future virtual CR. This will be important if virtual CR is to become part of standard health care.