Key result
Caregiver data co-participation in cardiac telerehabilitation may enhance coping but requires balancing support with autonomy.
Why the study?
Informal caregivers' roles in cardiac telerehabilitation remain underexplored, particularly among caregivers of recreational athletes who have unique needs.
Observational (n=10)
No
Caregiver-inclusive cardiac telerehabilitation systems should be designed as negotiation tools that support boundary work and balance competing care values, promoting a supportive rather than supervisory role.
Designs for caregiver data access in cardiac telerehabilitation must prioritize autonomy; hypothesis-generating for dyadic coping tools.
Informal caregivers' engagement with patient data is becoming increasingly central to CSCW and HCI research on health management. Cardiac telerehabilitation (CTR) technologies generate lifestyle and well-being data that support patients and their families in recovery management, yet informal caregivers' roles in CTR remain underexplored. Recreational athletes in rehabilitation are an especially under-researched group, despite their and their support system's unique needs. Focusing on caregivers of recreational athletes, we conducted interviews with ten participants and used six visual scenarios of a dyadic CTR system to explore their perspectives on data and information co-participation. Caregivers reported that co-participation could strengthen dyadic coping and management but emphasized the need to balance important trade-offs. We provide design recommendations for dyadic CTR systems that balance care needs and preferences, promoting caregiver involvement in a supportive, non-supervisory role. We contribute to CSCW research by proposing a conceptual shift in technology-mediated rehabilitation care: positioning caregiver-inclusive CTR systems as negotiation tools that support boundary work and balance competing care values.
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Șerban et al. (2025) conducted an observational in Cardiovascular disease (caregivers of recreational athletes) (n=10). Visual scenarios of dyadic cardiac telerehabilitation was evaluated. Caregivers of recreational athletes in cardiac telerehabilitation indicated that data co-participation could strengthen dyadic coping but requires design that balances support with patient autonomy to avoid unintended supervision.
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