Practice Variations in Exercise Training Programs in Dutch Cardiac Rehabilitation Centers: Prospective, Observational...

Area of Science:

• Cardiology
• Exercise Physiology
• Rehabilitation Medicine

Background:

• Current guidelines recommend tailored exercise training programs for cardiac rehabilitation patients based on individual characteristics and goals.
• A survey revealed significant variations in exercise training program content among Dutch cardiac rehabilitation centers.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the extent to which patient characteristics influence variations in cardiac rehabilitation exercise training programs.
• To analyze the relationship between patient diagnoses, rehabilitation goals, and prescribed exercise parameters.

Main Methods:

• A prospective, observational study with cross-sectional measurements was conducted across 10 cardiac rehabilitation centers.
• Data on 700 participants, including referral diagnosis, rehabilitation goals, and exercise training variables, were collected and analyzed.
• Case-mix correction was applied to account for population differences between centers.

Main Results:

• Significant variations were observed between centers in aerobic and resistance training characteristics, persisting even after case-mix correction.
• Aerobic training intensity, time, and volume showed considerable variation across centers.
• Referral diagnosis and rehabilitation goals were largely unrelated to prescribed aerobic training time and intensity in most centers.

Conclusions:

• Cardiac rehabilitation exercise programs exhibit considerable between-center variability, independent of patient population differences.
• Prescribed aerobic training parameters frequently lack correlation with patient-specific diagnoses and rehabilitation goals, suggesting a gap in adherence to tailored programming principles.