Advances in Cardiac Telerehabilitation for Older Adults in the Digital Age: A Narrative Review

Abstract

The population of older adults is growing worldwide, and cardiovascular disease (CVD) remains their leading cause of death. Cardiac rehabilitation (CR) is an effective secondary prevention measure that has been shown to improve quality of life and exercise function, along with reducing recurrence, rehospitalization, and disability risks among older adults. However, CR participation rates are very low, at <50% of CVD patients, due to transportation issues, travel costs, and long distances to rehabilitation centers, among numerous other reasons. Recently, a novel CR model, cardiac telerehabilitation (CTR), has been suggested to address many of the barriers otherwise encountered in implementing traditional center-based CR (CBCR) programs and subsequently increasing patient participation rates. CTR is a part of telemedicine, involving the provision of personalized telehealth services via wireless devices, such as smartphones, wearables, and video consultations, which can remotely monitor patients and provide objective feedback to those unable or unwilling to participate in traditional CBCR. This article reviews CTR importance, safety, efficacy, cost-effectiveness, and implementation to draw attention to such programs for older adults, enhance secondary prevention, and provide a reference basis for future users.