Promoting Cardiac Rehabilitation Use Across the Phases: Focus on Women

Cardiac rehabilitation (CR) utilization is sub-optimal, especially in women, despite the abundant evidence of its benefits. This thesis aimed to understand CR utilization across the acute, outpatient, and maintenance phases, with a focus on women. First, an observational study evaluated an evidence-based online course for inpatient cardiac healthcare providers on promoting patient participation in CR. The course was effective in increasing CR knowledge, self-efficacy, and encouragement practices among providers. Second, a retrospective cohort study compared patient characteristics, utilization, and outcomes in women in mixed-sex, women-only, and home-based CR models. While caution is warranted, the benefit of women-only CR was not evident; therefore, whether full gender-tailored programs are advantageous requires further investigation. Finally, the effects of maintenance phase CR were reviewed in women and men using subgroup meta-analyses. Limited data suggested maintenance CR improves cardiorespiratory fitness and lipids in women and men, but anthropometrics only in men.