Standards for cardiac telerehabilitation

Participation in comprehensive, multidisciplinary cardiac rehabilitation programmes as part of secondary prevention is recommended for patients with cardiovascular disease. However, recent data reveal that participation in cardiac rehabilitation is only around 30%-40% of eligible patients in Europe. Key barriers are practical barriers such as limitations in transport or scheduling issues. In recent years, home-based cardiac rehabilitation, delivered by telerehabilitation, has been suggested as an alternative or adjunct to centre-based cardiac rehabilitation to increase access, adherence, and participation rates. Multiple trials have demonstrated the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of cardiac telerehabilitation. Recently, the European Association of Preventive Cardiology (EAPC) of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) has defined the presence of a cardiac telerehabilitation programme as one of the quality indicators for centres requesting accreditation. This document aims to provide a clear description of cardiac telerehabilitation and to provide minimal standards and core components to ensure the high quality of cardiac telerehabilitation in Europe.