Telehealth is here to stay but not without challenges: a consultation of cardiac rehabilitation clinicians during COVID-19 in Victoria, Australia.

ABSTRACT:

Aims

Delivery of cardiac rehabilitation (CR) was challenged during the pandemic caused by the Coronavirus disease (COVID-19), due to government stay-at-home directives which restricted in-person programmes. The Australian state of Victoria experienced the longest and most severe COVID-19 restrictions and was in lockdown for ∼6 months of 2020. We aimed to explore (i) clinicians' experiences and perceptions and (ii) identify barriers and enablers, for delivering CR during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods and results

Victorian members of the Australian Cardiovascular Health and Rehabilitation Association (ACRA) were invited to attend an exploratory qualitative online consultation in November 2020. An inductive thematic analysis was undertaken, before deductively applying the Non-

SUBMITTER: Cartledge S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8755316 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature