Phone apps could be used to aid recovery for cardiac patients

MOBILE PHONE apps could be used by people recovering from heart problems to improve their rehabilitation, a new report has found.

Researchers at the University of York found that new technology could be used for “self-delivered” cardiac rehabilitation methods which would be tailored to suit patients’ every day lives.

Their study suggested that the methods could benefit “harderto-reach” members of society, including working adults and older patients, in their recovery from cardiovascular disease.

Professor Patrick Doherty, chair in cardiovascular health at the University of York, said: “Our research shows that a one-sizefits-all version of rehabilitation fails to meet the expectations and preferences of patients following a heart event.

“Innovative ways of planning and organising rehabilitation is happening in some services but not all.

“Our research shows that variation in the mode of delivery of cardiac rehabilitation, including tailoring towards age and gender, will help improve uptake, thus saving lives and improving the quality of life of those that attend.”

The study carried out by the Cardiovascular Health Research Group analysed data from 120,000 patients collected from the British Heart Foundation (BHF) National Audit of Cardiac Rehabilitation from 2012 to 2016.

It looked at changes in anxiety, depression and quality of life following rehabilitation.

Findings have been published in the