Conclusions : Telehealth interventions with a range of delivery modes could be offered to patients who can not attend cardiac rehabilitation , or as an adjunct to cardiac rehabilitation for effective secondary prevention
Background : Coronary heart disease ( CHD ) is a major cause of death worldwide .
Cardiac rehabilitation , an evidence -based CHD secondary prevention programme , remains underutilized .
Telehealth may offer an innovative solution to overcome barriers to cardiac rehabilitation attendance .
We aim ed to determine whether contemporary telehealth interventions can provide effective secondary prevention as an alternative or adjunct care compared with cardiac rehabilitation and /or usual care for patients with CHD .
The Extensive Lifestyle Management Intervention (ELMI) after cardiac rehabilitation: a 4-year randomized controlled trial.
BACKGROUND Previous reports indicate risk factors and lifestyle behaviors may deteriorate early after completion of a cardiac rehabilitation program ( CRP ) . We hypothesized that a modest risk factor and lifestyle management intervention after a CRP would significantly reduce overall cardiovascular risk using the Framingham risk score compared with usual care after 4 years . METHODS Patients with ischemic heart disease ( n = 302 ) were r and omized after a CRP to either usual care or intervention ( exercise sessions , telephone follow-ups , counseling sessions , and reports to the participants ' family physicians ) . The Framingham risk score , risk factors , and lifestyle behaviors were compared after 4 years . RESULTS Data were available for 130 intervention and 119 usual care participants . The intervention result ed in 15.5 hours of direct participant contact . Framingham score , total cholesterol , low-density lipoprotein cholesterol , and systolic blood pressure were significantly improved in the intervention group after adjusting for baseline factors . There were no significant differences with respect to lifestyle factors between the groups . CONCLUSIONS A modest risk factor and lifestyle management intervention result ed in a significant reduction to global risk compared with usual care and should be considered after CRP
Conclusions : Telehealth interventions with a range of delivery modes could be offered to patients who can not attend cardiac rehabilitation , or as an adjunct to cardiac rehabilitation for effective secondary prevention
Background : Coronary heart disease ( CHD ) is a major cause of death worldwide .
Cardiac rehabilitation , an evidence -based CHD secondary prevention programme , remains underutilized .
Telehealth may offer an innovative solution to overcome barriers to cardiac rehabilitation attendance .
We aim ed to determine whether contemporary telehealth interventions can provide effective secondary prevention as an alternative or adjunct care compared with cardiac rehabilitation and /or usual care for patients with CHD .