Enrollment and Adherence to Early Outpatient and Maintenance Cardiac Rehabilitation Programs

Early outpatient (ECR) and maintenance cardiac rehabilitation (MCR) programs are essential, evidence-based services that have received unequivocal endorsement by national and international professional organizations. However, the latest data characterizing ECR enrollment and adherence fell well short of what would be expected for a therapy that has accumulated decades of empirical evidence touting the associated physiologic, physical, psychosocial, and financial benefits. Although national participation levels have remained stagnant, a series of recent publications showcase effective strategies that could bolster both ECR enrollment and adherence levels at the institutional level. Unlike ECR, fewer reports on enrollment and adherence rates exist for MCR, partly due to the lack of standardization of this service. In this review, we aim to highlight current data on enrollment and adherence to ECR and MCR and discuss evidence-based programmatic strategies to support utilization of both services.

Automated summary

Early outpatient and maintenance cardiac rehabilitation programs are essential services, but recent data shows low enrollment and adherence levels, hindering full utilization of these services.