Evaluation of technology enabled hybrid cardiac rehabilitation
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Industrial research to generate evidence for submission to NICE, using a novel, real-world trial design for a technology enabled, hybrid service for cardiac rehabilitation
IRAS ID
320764
Contact name
Kate Jolly
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Birmingham
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 5 months, 31 days
Research summary
WHAT IS THE PROBLEM?
Whilst cardiac rehabilitation reduces risk of death and future heart attacks and improves quality of life, only about half of those invited attended the group based programmes that were the usual provision prior to the Covid-19 pandemic. During the pandemic many cardiac rehabilitation services switched to on-line or remote real-time delivery and saw an increase in uptake.Now that in-person services are returning there are continued pressures on services: backlogs of people waiting, hospital gym facilities co-opted for other services, or staff redeployed. The NHS Long Term Plan has a goal of 85% of eligible patients joining cardiac rehabilitation. We believe that delivering a hybrid programme of cardiac rehabilitation that commences with face to face delivery and supports patients to move to a remote service at a time that suits them, will enable more people to access rehabilitation and increase uptake and adherence.
WHAT IS THE AIM OF THE RESEARCH?
This study aims to explore the impact of delivering a hybrid programme of cardiac rehabilitation on the staff, patient uptake to cardiac rehabilitation and health outcomes.WHAT ARE WE PROPOSING TO DO?
A digital technology, called Active+me, that will enable the staff to deliver the hybrid programme and monitor patients safely is being implemented in several cardiac rehabilitation services across England. Separate focus groups, and interviews, with rehabilitation staff and patients from three services will understand their experience of the new way of delivering rehabilitation. We will use the anonymised data reported to the national cardiac rehabilitation audit to find out whether more people take up rehabilitation under a hybrid delivery model and whether the expected improvements in quality of life are seen, compared to pre-pandemic and services only offering face-to-face delivery. A health economic evaluation will explore the costs and consequences of this hybrid form of delivery.REC name
Wales REC 7
REC reference
23/WA/0131
Date of REC Opinion
2 May 2023
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion