Patients' perceptions of digital cardiac rehabilitation (version 1)
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Exploring patients' perceptions of digital cardiac rehabilitation: a qualitative study
IRAS ID
306630
Contact name
Eanna Kenny
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
National University of Ireland Galway
Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier
N/A, N/A
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 3 months, 16 days
Research summary
Cardiac rehabilitation is a secondary prevention programme designed to stabilise, slow or reverse the progression of cardiovascular disease. International clinical guidelines recommend that all cardiovascular patients attend cardiac rehabilitation, however, participation rates are low at 10–30% worldwide, primarily due to challenges surrounding accessibility, conflicting commitments, cost, and more recently the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.
In response to these challenges, there has been an increased interest in developing alternative methods of providing cardiac rehabilitation. One such approach is digital cardiac rehabilitation – rehabilitation delivered through a smartphone or the internet. This method of delivery has the potential to maximise the efficiency of service delivery and reach a greater number of patients. However, the provision of digital cardiac rehabilitation is still in its infancy, with no established best-practice guidelines and limited understanding of the key intervention components and how they help change behaviour and improve patient outcomes.
This study aims to explore patients' experiences and perspectives of participating in a digital cardiac rehabilitation programme. This will be done by conducting semi-structured interviews with 10-15 patients who have completed the Our Hearts Our Minds programme, a digital cardiac rehabilitation programme currently being offered in the Western Health and Social Care Trust area in Northern Ireland. Interviews will explore patients' perceptions of the key components of cardiac rehabilitation and how they believe these might help change behaviour and improve outcomes. All interviews will be audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim. Thematic analysis will be used to identify patterns and themes in the data. The findings from this study will help enhance our understanding of what digital cardiac rehabilitation should include and how it improves outcomes for patients.
REC name
East of England - Cambridge South Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
22/EE/0018
Date of REC Opinion
31 Jan 2022
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion