Because many patients reduce exercise following outpatient cardiac rehabilitation (CR), we developed an intervention to assist with the transition and evaluated its feasibility and preliminary efficacy using a one-group pretest–posttest design. Five CR patients were enrolled ~1 month prior to CR discharge and provided an activity tracker. Each week during CR they received a summary of their physical activity and steps. Following CR discharge, participants received an individualized report that included their physical activity and step history, information on specific features of the activity tracker, and encouraging messages from former CR patients for each of the next 6 weeks. Mixed model trajectory analyses were used to test the intervention effect separately for active minutes and steps modeling three study phases: pre-intervention (day activity tracking began to CR discharge), intervention (day following CR discharge to day when final report sent), and maintenance (day following the final report to ~1 month later). Activity tracking was successfully deployed and, with weekly reports following CR, may offset the usual decline in physical activity. When weekly reports ceased, a decline in steps/day occurred. A scaled-up intervention with a more rigorous study design with sufficient sample size can evaluate this approach further.

Because many patients reduce exercise following outpatient cardiac rehabilitation (CR), we developed an intervention to assist with the transition and evaluated its feasibility and preliminary efficacy using a one-group pretest-posttest design. Five CR patients were enrolled ~1 month prior to CR discharge and provided an activity tracker. Each week during CR they received a summary of their physical activity and steps. Following CR discharge, participants received an individualized report that included their physical activity and step history, information on specific features of the activity tracker, and encouraging messages from former CR patients for each of the next 6 weeks. Mixed model trajectory analyses were used to test the intervention effect separately for active minutes and steps modeling three study phases: pre-intervention (day activity tracking began to CR discharge), intervention (day following CR discharge to day when final report sent), and maintenance (day following the final report to ~1 month later). Activity tracking was successfully deployed and, with weekly reports following CR, may offset the usual decline in physical activity. When weekly reports ceased, a decline in steps/day occurred. A scaled-up intervention with a more rigorous study design with sufficient sample size can evaluate this approach further.

This guide is directed at the multi-disciplinary team dealing with cardiac rehabilitation. It is a practical handbook for everyday professionals on what they should do following cardiac events and return to work. It is adapted to the needs of cardiac rehabilitation centers. · Key publication from the European Association of Preventive Cardiology (EAPC) · Companion handbook to The ESC Handbook of Preventive Cardiology: Putting Prevention into Practice This handbook is directed at cardiologists in training and practice, specialist (cardiac) nurses, technicians, exercise physiologists and other healthcare professionals involved in the multidisciplinary process of cardiac rehabilitation · Practical user-friendly handbook style presentation · Covers the complete spectrum of rehabilitation care · Key team members address key issues - smoking, diet and physical activity · Focus on high risk patients (family approach)

"EACPR, European Association for Cardiovascular Prevention and Rehabilitation -- European Society of Cardiology."

This edition addresses the cost effectiveness of interventions that educate and motivate patients to assume personal responsibility for long-term disease prevention.

In the network of cardiologists within the European Society of Cardiology Working Group on Cardiac Rehabilitation and Exercise Physiology there is a strong view that the time indeed is right to publish definitively on the methods involved in cardiovascular prevention and rehabilitation. We are facing a transition from conventional cardiac rehabilitation to a phase of combined preventive and rehabilitative efforts, as witnessed in the recent Joint Task Force Guidelines on Preventive Cardiology. For this revision of our clinical routines we lack a practical textbook, based upon the conditions and resources of European health care. This textbook is designed to fill that gap.