Cardiac telerehabilitation: current status and future perspectives

Area of Science:

• Cardiology
• Digital Health
• Rehabilitation Medicine

Background:

• Multidisciplinary cardiac rehabilitation (CR) is recommended for cardiovascular disease patients.
• Cardiac telerehabilitation (CTR) is a cost-effective alternative to traditional CR, aiming to improve participation and effectiveness.
• Despite growing evidence, real-world CTR implementation is limited due to knowledge gaps and challenges.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore the potential of cardiac telerehabilitation (CTR) as an alternative to traditional cardiac rehabilitation (CR).
• To identify barriers and facilitators for the implementation of CTR in clinical practice.
• To review the current state of research on CTR interventions and their limitations.

Main Methods:

• Review of existing literature on cardiac telerehabilitation (CTR) interventions.
• Analysis of common components studied in CTR, including exercise and e-coaching.
• Identification of methodological limitations in current CTR research.

Main Results:

• Evidence supports the feasibility and effectiveness of CTR, particularly exercise-based components and e-coaching.
• Methodological limitations such as selection bias, lack of long-term follow-up, and heterogeneous interventions hinder translation to practice.
• Real-world implementation of CTR remains scarce despite its potential benefits.

Conclusions:

• Widespread implementation of CTR requires addressing research limitations and developing guideline-based, personalized programs.
• Facilitating CTR adoption necessitates overcoming implementation challenges and securing reimbursement.
• Further implementation studies are crucial for integrating CTR into routine cardiovascular care.