Can Patient Contributed Data (PCD) Leverage Connected Health Technology for Cardiac Rehabilitation in Austria?

New technologies such as devices, apps, smartphones, and sensors not only enable people to self-monitor their health but also share their health data with healthcare professionals. Data collection and dissemination occur across a wide variety of environments and settings, tracking everything from biometric data to mood and behavior, which has been termed Patient Contributed Data (PCD). In this work, we created a patient journey, enabled by PCD, to shape a connected health model for Cardiac Rehabilitation (CR) in Austria. Consequently, we highlighted the potential PCD benefit, which is a postulated increasing uptake of CR and improved patient outcomes through apps in a home-based setting. Finally, we addressed the related challenges and policy barriers that hinder the implementation of CR-connected health in Austria and identified actions to be taken.