Healthcare Providers' Beliefs and Recommendations in Cardiac Rehabilitation Revealed in New Research

A new study from Shanghai Jiao Tong University sheds light on the beliefs and practices of healthcare providers in China regarding cardiac rehabilitation (CR), highlighting the need for more resources and training to enhance CR recommendation behavior.

Key Takeaways:

• The study found that 56.5% of healthcare providers in China had recommended CR to patients, but only 34.6% were familiar with the specific details of CR.
• The survey of 1,120 healthcare providers revealed that the perceived severity and susceptibility, perceived service accessibility, and perceived benefits and barriers were key factors influencing CR recommendation behavior.
• The predictive factors for healthcare professionals' CR recommendation behavior included familiarity with CR content, professional title, availability of CR services, hospital type, position, department, and age.
• The study concluded that there is an urgent need to provide healthcare professionals with more resources and training to deepen their understanding of CR and address the utilization and accessibility of CR services.
• The research aimed to assess healthcare professionals' beliefs of CR in China, explore the current status of CR recommendations to patients, and identify the factors influencing their recommendation behavior.
• The study utilized a cross-sectional survey among cardiovascular doctors, nurses, rehabilitation therapists, and general practitioners from healthcare institutions across China.
• The survey included demographic information and the Chinese version of the Recommending Cardiac Rehabilitation (ReCaRe) scale to assess beliefs regarding CR, CR resources, knowledge of CR, and CR recommendation behavior.

Statistics:

• 1,120 valid questionnaires were collected from healthcare providers in China.
• 56.5% of healthcare providers reported recommending CR to patients, while 34.6% were familiar with the specific details of CR.
• The total score of the ReCaRe scale was 60.80 ± 7.36, with the perceived severity and susceptibility scoring 3.98 ± 0.60, perceived service accessibility at 2.72 ± 0.96, and the perceived benefits and barriers 4.13 ± 0.56.
• 86.0% of healthcare providers expressed a need for more CR resources and training.
• 56.5% of healthcare providers believed that CR is beneficial for patients, while 44.7% believed that CR is important for patients.

Sources:

• Bridging the gap: examining healthcare providers' beliefs and recommendations in cardiac rehabilitation and the determinants of their practices in China. BMC Health Services Research, 2025;25(1):826.
• BMC Health Services Research (www.biomedcentral.com/bmchealthservres/).