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Expanding access to telehealth in Australian cardiac rehabilitation services: a national survey of barriers, enablers, and uptake.
Thomas, Emma E; Cartledge, Susie; Murphy, Barbara; Abell, Bridget; Gallagher, Robyn; Astley, Carolyn.
Affiliation
  • Thomas EE; Centre for Online Health, The University of Queensland, Bldg 33, Princess Alexandra Hospital, Woolloongabba, Brisbane, Queensland 4103, Australia.
  • Cartledge S; Centre for Health Services Research, The University of Queensland, Bldg 33, Princess Alexandra Hospital, Woolloongabba, Brisbane, Queensland 4103, Australia.
  • Murphy B; School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, 553 St Kilda Road, Melbourne, Victoria 3004, Australia.
  • Abell B; Susan Wakil School of Nursing and Midwifery, The University of Sydney, Western Ave, Camperdown, Sydney, New South Wales 2050, Australia.
  • Gallagher R; Australian Centre for Heart Health, 75-79 Chetwynd St, North Melbourne, Victoria 3051, Australia.
  • Astley C; School of Psychological Sciences, University of Melbourne, Redmond Barry Bldg, Victoria 3052, Australia.
Eur Heart J Digit Health ; 5(1): 21-29, 2024 Jan.
Article in En | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-38264703
ABSTRACT

Aims:

Cardiac rehabilitation (CR) is traditionally delivered in-person; however, the COVID-19 pandemic provided impetus for alternative offerings such as telehealth. We investigated uptake, barriers, and enablers in a national survey during the pandemic in Australia. Methods and

results:

We surveyed CR programmes between April and June 2021 using professional association networks. The anonymous online questionnaire addressed programme characteristics, COVID-19 impacts, and barriers to and enablers of telehealth use. Open-text responses were coded and presented as themes. In total, there were responses from 105 programmes (33% response rate). All states and geographical areas were represented. The use of every modality of telehealth care (telephone, video conferencing, text messaging, and web-based) increased significantly during and after COVID with a strong preference for telephone (85% of services). Respondents perceived video (53%) and telephone (47%) formats as safe and effective for delivering CR. The most common barriers to telehealth were difficulties conducting assessments and reduced engagement with patients. Prominent enablers were increased reach and reduced patient barriers to CR access.

Conclusion:

Telehealth use by CR programmes increased during the peak pandemic period. However, additional support is required to ensure that telehealth services can be maintained. There is considerable potential to increase the reach of CR by embedding telehealth into existing models of care.
Key words

Full text: 1 Database: MEDLINE Type of study: Prognostic_studies Language: En Journal: Eur Heart J Digit Health Year: 2024 Type: Article Affiliation country: Australia

Full text: 1 Database: MEDLINE Type of study: Prognostic_studies Language: En Journal: Eur Heart J Digit Health Year: 2024 Type: Article Affiliation country: Australia