Controlled Pilot Test of a Translated Cardiac Rehabilitation Education Curriculum in Percutaneous Coronary Intervention Patients in a Middle-Income Country Delivered Using WeChat: Acceptability, Engagement, Satisfaction, and Preliminary Outcomes

In China, despite the rapid increase in percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI), cardiac rehabilitation (CR) is just burgeoning, leaving a need for comprehensive evidence-based education curricula. This pilot study assessed the acceptability of Simplified-Chinese CR education delivered via booklets and videos on WeChat asynchronously, and impact in improving knowledge, risk factors, health behaviors and quality of life. In this pre-post, controlled, observational study, interested PCI patients received the 12-week intervention, or usual care and WeChat without education. Participants completed validated surveys, including the Coronary Artery Disease Education-Questionnaire and Self-Management Scale. Acceptability (14 Likert-type items), engagement (minutes per week) and satisfaction were assessed in intervention participants. Ninety-six patients consented to participate (n=49 intervntion), of which 66 (68.8%) completed the follow-up assessments. Twenty-seven (77.1%) retained intervention participants engaged with the materials, rating content as highly acceptable (all means ≥4/5) and satisfactory (2.19±0.48/3); those engaging more with the intervention were significantly more satisfied (p=.03). While participants in both groups achieved some improvements, only intervention participants had significant increases in disease-related knowledge, reductions in body mass index and triglycerides, as well as improvements in diet (all p<.05). In this first study validating the recently-translated CR patient education intervention, acceptability and benefits have been supported.