MI-PACE Home-Based Cardiac Telerehabilitation Program for Heart Attack Survivors: Usability Study

Area of Science:

• Cardiology
• Digital Health
• Rehabilitation Medicine

Background:

• Cardiac rehabilitation programs, including exercise and disease management, are crucial for reducing morbidity and mortality post-acute myocardial infarction.
• Many survivors decline traditional center-based cardiac rehabilitation, necessitating alternative approaches.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and assess the feasibility of a 12-week cardiac telerehabilitation program for acute myocardial infarction survivors who opted out of center-based programs.
• To evaluate a program integrating a health watch and telephone counseling for home-based rehabilitation.

Main Methods:

• A pilot study enrolled patients hospitalized after acute myocardial infarction who declined center-based cardiac rehabilitation.
• Participants used a health watch for monitoring and a tablet app for goal tracking, with data transmitted to a nurse.
• A 12-week program included home exercise, weekly phone counseling, and usability/adherence assessments.

Main Results:

• 18 participants completed the 12-week program; 33% were women, and 33% had ST-elevation myocardial infarction.
• High adherence was noted: participants wore the health watch for a median of 12.7 hours/day and completed 86% of exercise goals.
• The system demonstrated high usability (System Usability Scale score median 83), with participants walking 121 minutes/week and exercising 189 minutes/week in their target heart rate zone.

Conclusions:

• Home-based cardiac telerehabilitation using a health watch and phone counseling is feasible for acute myocardial infarction survivors.
• The program demonstrated high usability and adherence to monitoring, exercise, and counseling.
• Further research is needed to compare outcomes and healthcare resource utilization with center-based rehabilitation.