Standards for cardiac telerehabilitation

Area of Science:

• Cardiology
• Preventive Cardiology
• Digital Health

Background:

• Cardiac rehabilitation is crucial for cardiovascular disease secondary prevention but faces low participation rates (30-40%) in Europe.
• Practical barriers like transport and scheduling significantly limit access to traditional centre-based cardiac rehabilitation.
• Home-based cardiac telerehabilitation has emerged as a viable alternative to enhance patient access and adherence.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe cardiac telerehabilitation and its role in improving participation.
• To establish minimal standards and core components for high-quality cardiac telerehabilitation programs in Europe.
• To support the European Association of Preventive Cardiology's quality indicators for accredited centers.

Main Methods:

• Review of existing trials demonstrating the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of cardiac telerehabilitation.
• Analysis of barriers to traditional cardiac rehabilitation participation.
• Development of proposed standards and core components for cardiac telerehabilitation.

Main Results:

• Cardiac telerehabilitation has proven effective and cost-effective in multiple trials.
• Home-based models address practical barriers, potentially increasing participation rates.
• Defined standards are essential for ensuring quality in European cardiac telerehabilitation programs.

Conclusions:

• Cardiac telerehabilitation is a key strategy to overcome participation barriers in cardiovascular disease secondary prevention.
• Implementing minimal standards will ensure consistent, high-quality delivery of cardiac telerehabilitation across Europe.
• This approach supports the integration of digital health solutions in cardiovascular care.