Khoury, Shireen

Background Although telehealth cardiac rehabilitation (CR) may improve access, there are concerns about its long‐term effectiveness and impact on equity as compared with in‐person CR. Our objective was to tailor a patient‐centered telehealth CR program for diverse populations. Methods CR patients and caregivers were recruited between January and September 2023 from 4 US academic medical centers. Participants engaged in human‐centered design sessions to iteratively refine a telehealth CR program. Sessions had planned topics, but there was variation across sites to account for site‐specific needs and participant feedback. Sessions were qualitatively analyzed using rapid template analysis with preselected behavioral science constructs and other emergent codes. Results The study included 21 participants (71% aged ≥60 years, 48% women, 62% non‐Hispanic White individuals; 90% CR patients, 10% CR caregivers). Participants thought that telehealth CR could be helpful for personalized support at home and convenience but recognized that technology is not always easy to use. Some expressed concerns about the safety of telehealth CR, especially at the beginning, and desired monitoring through a mobile device or video observation of exercise. Safety protocols and technology training were developed, which addressed concerns about telehealth CR. Opportunities for social support with telehealth CR were also desired. From these findings, an implementation toolkit was developed, including a graphic program description, safety plan, home exercise plan for during and after CR, and scripts for technology training and individual and group telehealth visits. Conclusions A patient‐centered telehealth CR program and implementation toolkit were systematically tailored to address the needs of diverse populations.

Background: Delivering cardiac rehabilitation (CR) by telehealth may increase participation and promote equitable access to CR. Our objective was to tailor a patient-centered telehealth CR program to diverse populations. Methods: We recruited participants with varying CR experience (e.g. attended >1 session, did not attend CR, and caregivers) between January and September 2023 from four US academic medical centers. Participants engaged in human-centered design sessions on CR perspectives and a proposed telehealth CR program. Sessions were qualitatively analyzed using rapid template analysis with pre-selected behavioral science constructs and other emergent codes. Based on participant feedback, we iteratively revised the telehealth CR program and created an implementation toolkit. Results: Among 21 participants (76% ≥65 years, 50% female, 60% non-Hispanic White; 90% attended >1 session, 10% caregiver of a CR participant, 5% prefer not to answer), CR was overall regarded as valuable. Benefits included accountability, confidence, and feeling better. Social support was appreciated from family, friends, program co-participants, and CR staff. Participants emphasized the importance of early goal setting, accountability, and program individualization. Participants thought that using technology for telehealth CR could be helpful for accountability, facilitating relationships, and convenience. However, some participants had concerns about safety, especially at the start of their telehealth program, and desired checks such as a monitoring device or observation of exercise over video. Through human-centered design, safety protocols and technology training were developed, which participants thought addressed their concerns about participating in telehealth CR. The implementation toolkit informed by human-centered design included a participant journey, safety plan, home exercise plan for use during and after CR, and scripts for technology training and telehealth visits. Selected quotes are presented in Figure 1. Conclusions: We developed a patient-centered telehealth CR program and implementation toolkit. Future research will test the comparative effectiveness of in-person and telehealth CR on patient-centered outcomes.