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Updated: Jun 21, 2025
A Novel Digital Platform for a Monitored Home-based Cardiac Rehabilitation Program
Published on: April 19, 2019
Digital health intervention in patients undergoing cardiac rehabilitation: systematic review and meta-analysis
Ali Suleiman Harbi1, Kim Lam Soh1, Putri Binti Yubbu2
1Department of Nursing, Faculty of Medicine & Health Sciences,, University Putra Malaysia, Serdang, Selangor, 43400, Malaysia.
Insights
Digital health interventions significantly improve physical capacity and quality of life for cardiovascular disease patients. These accessible, cost-effective programs also effectively reduce blood pressure compared to traditional cardiac rehabilitation.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Digital Health
- Rehabilitation Medicine
Background:
- Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a leading global cause of mortality.
- Cardiac rehabilitation is effective but underutilized.
- Digital health interventions offer a scalable alternative for delivering cardiac rehabilitation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the impact of digital health interventions on key outcomes in cardiovascular disease patients.
- To compare the effectiveness of digital health interventions against conventional care.
Main Methods:
- A systematic review of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) published between 2000-2023.
- Searches conducted across PubMed, CINAHL, Scopus, and Cochrane Library.
- Outcomes assessed included blood pressure, BMI, lipid profile, blood glucose, Six-Minute Walk Test, and peak oxygen consumption.
Main Results:
- Digital health interventions significantly improved Six-Minute Walk Test distance and maximal oxygen consumption.
- Significant reductions were observed in both systolic and diastolic blood pressure.
- Quality of life showed significant improvement after three months of follow-up.
- No significant differences were found in body mass index, lipid profile, or blood glucose.
Conclusions:
- Digital health interventions demonstrate significant benefits for physical capacity, blood pressure, and quality of life in CVD patients.
- While not significantly impacting BMI or lipids, digital approaches offer advantages in convenience, accessibility, and cost-effectiveness over traditional methods.
Background:
Cardiovascular disease (CVD) continues to be the foremost mortality internationally. Cardiac rehabilitation has proven as an effective program in reducing CVD burden. Participation in cardiac rehabilitation programs is very low. Digital health intervention emerged as an alternative method to deliver Cardiac rehabilitation. This review aimed to investigate the impact of digital health intervention on the outcomes of interest.
Methods:
the following databases: PubMed, CINAHL, Scopus, and Cochrane Library have been searched to retrieve randomized controlled trials that examine the impact of digital health intervention on blood pressure, body mass index, lipid profile, blood glucose, Six-Minute Walk Test, and peak oxygen consumption. filters were set to include studies published in English between 2000-2023.
Results:
Nineteen studies were included in this review. Six-Minute Walk Test (MD = 16.70; 95% CI: 6.00 to 27.39, p = 0.000) and maximal oxygen consumption (SMD = 0.27; 95% CI: 0.08 to 0.45, p = 0.004) significantly improved following digital health intervention, after employing the sensitivity analysis significant improvement was observed in systolic (MD = -2.54; 95% CI: -4.98 to -0.11, p = 0.04) and diastolic blood pressure (SMD = -2.0182; 95% CI: -3.9436 to -0.0928, p = 0.04) favoring experimental groups. Subgroup analysis revealed significant improvement in quality of life after three months of follow-up (SMD = 0.18; 95% CI: 0.05 to 0.31, p = 0.00), no significant differences have been observed in body mass index, lipid profile, and blood glucose.
Conclusion:
The findings emphasize the significant impact of digital vs CBCR or usual care on physical capacity, blood pressure, and quality of life. Despite the non-statistically significant differences in body mass index and lipid profile, the comparable effect between the two methods suggests the superiority of digital over CBCR or usual care due to its convenient nature, accessibility, and cost-effectiveness.
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