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Getting the latest healthcare news for you
Offering remote cardiac rehab doesn't get more heart attack patients to show up. A large Swedish trial found that adding a remote exercise option didn't increase overall participation rates compared to center-based programs alone — though patients who did use it saw similar physical improvements. Researchers say remote rehab should be seen as a personalized add-on, not a fix for low participation.
Offering remote cardiac rehab doesn't get more heart attack patients to show up
A large-scale Swedish trial presented at the European Society of Cardiology Congress found that giving heart attack patients the option to do cardiac rehabilitation remotely didn't actually increase how many people participated. Despite the flexibility of exercising at home with real-time physiotherapist support, overall completion rates remained similar between the remote-option and center-only groups.
That said, the remote option wasn't a failure — patients who used it saw the same physical benefits as those in center-based programs, and serious exercise-related adverse events were rare in both groups. Researchers say remote rehab should be viewed as a patient-centered complement to traditional programs, not a silver bullet for the field's long-standing participation problem.
By the Numbers:
Why it matters: Cardiac rehab is proven to support recovery after a heart attack, yet participation rates remain persistently low. This trial — one of the largest of its kind — shows that remote delivery can safely match in-person outcomes, offering a more flexible, personalized path for patients. But closing the participation gap will require more than just a remote option.
