Home-based, telehealth-delivered, stroke-adapted cardiac rehabilitation is safe and feasible

ABSTRACT

Background: Cardiac Rehabilitation (CR) is a multidisciplinary approach involving exercise training and health-related education routinely available to cardiac patients, but rarely offered to people with stroke. We have shown people with stroke can be integrated into centre-based CR, but due to access difficulties, opportunities for people with stroke to participate in centre-based CR are limited. Home-based CR is well-established for people with heart disease and offers an alternative for people with stroke who are unable to access centre-based rehabilitation. Aim(s) Investigate the safety and feasibility of home-based, telehealthdelivered, stroke-adapted CR. Method(s) A single-site, prospective-cohort safety and feasibility trial. People with ischaemic stroke were screened for eligibility and invited to participate in a six-week program of exercise and education delivered via telehealth to the participant in their own home following discharge from inpatient rehabilitation (i.e. <6-weeks post-stroke). Safety and feasibility were assessed by incidence of adverse events and measures of participant recruitment, retention, and adherence. Result(s) Ninety-five people with stroke were screened, 67 (70%) were eligible to participate, and 19 (28%) consented. Of the 28 that were ineligible to participate, the main reasons for exclusion were haemorrhagic stroke (53%), nil medical clearance (18%), and nil acute stroke (14%). Of the 48 eligible participants that did not consent, 45% were not included due to the impact of COVID-19, 20% were discharged prior to being approached to participate, and 12% did not consent due to a lack of time. Three participants dropped out of the study prior to commencing the outpatient intervention. The remaining 16 participants completed the six-week intervention. Positive written and verbal feedback was received from participants on the appropriateness of the intervention. Conclusion(s) COVID-19 significantly impacted our capacity to recruit participants to this trial. Preliminary data suggests home-based, telehealthdelivered, stroke-adapted CR is safe and potentially feasible in early subacute stroke.