Practical Utility and Factors Driving Use of Virtual Cardiac Rehabilitation: A Patient-Centric and Disabilities View to Innovation

This paper reports on research being conducted under the National Research Council of Canada’s Aging in Place Program in collaboration with academic and healthcare partners. The research focuses on understanding the journey of patients through cardiac rehabilitation from the perspective of older patients with disabilities. Our approach involves engaging with patient partners having lived experiences requiring improved access to cardiac rehabilitation. Our goal is to understand the status of inclusivity, the unique needs of patients, and the strategies and techniques to bridge gaps in care, and to engineer virtual care solutions that are more inclusive and accommodative to older adult patients with disabilities. This paper emphasizes the significance of the study as an initial stride toward understanding the unique needs of older patients with disabilities. The paper also discusses likely avenues to inform the design and development of future digital health solutions informed by patient-centric perspectives.