What is it about?
Evidence consistently demonstrates that cardiac rehabilitation (CR) programs improve morbidity and mortality among patients after an acute cardiac event, but fewer women are referred to or attend CR programs. This might be because the original CR programs were developed decades ago with the aim of getting men physically active and back to work. They just do not suit many women's needs.
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Why is it important?
Traditional cardiac rehabilitation (CR) programs do not adequately address the needs of many women with coronary heart disease. If women are to achieve equal benefits as men after an acute cardiac event, then they need to be referred to CR programs, but most importantly the programs need to be tailored to women's needs and expectations.
Perspectives
We hope this article prompts thought and discussion about cardiac rehabilitation for women. If the programs are to be fit for purpose, a gender- and sex-based review is needed to improve the uptake of these programs in a format that is acceptable to women.
Lisa Kuhn
Monash University
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Improving the uptake of cardiac rehabilitation for women: time for a gender-based review, European Journal of Cardiovascular Nursing, April 2019, SAGE Publications,
DOI: 10.1177/1474515119844094.
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