Digital Health in Cardiac Rehabilitation: Overcoming Barriers and Improving Outcomes

The rehabilitation of cardiological health conditions (CR) is a structured, multidisciplinary intervention delivered by a coordinated team of physiatrists, cardiologists, physiotherapists, nurses, psychologists, and nutritionists.
The primary aim is to optimize functioning and support sustained lifestyle and behavioral changes to reduce cardiovascular risk, applying evidence-based interventions.


Despite its proven benefits, participation and adherence to traditional center-based CR programs remain low due to geographical, logistical, and psychosocial barriers, limiting access to this effective intervention. The adoption of digital health technologies—such as tele-rehabilitation, mobile health (mHealth) applications, wearable devices, and remote monitoring systems—offers innovative opportunities to improve accessibility, personalize interventions, and enhance patient engagement. Emerging evidence suggests comparable clinical outcomes to standard CR, yet questions remain about long-term effectiveness, cost-effectiveness, and real-world implementation.


This Research Topic aims to address these gaps by collecting original research (quantitative, qualitative, and mixed-methods) and reviews (systematic, scoping, or meta-analyses) on clinical, psychological, social, economic, and implementation aspects of digital CR. Studies on novel technologies, patient and provider experiences, and strategies to integrate digital solutions into routine multidisciplinary CR are particularly welcome.