Evaluation of an mHealth-Based Adjunct to Outpatient Cardiac Rehabilitation

A pilot study was conducted to determine if a smartphone-based adjunct to standard care could increase the completion rate of a cardiac rehabilitation program (CRP). Based on historical completion rates, 66 participants who were about to commence a hospital-based CRP were randomized so that half received three devices embedded with near-field communication, namely, a smartphone [pre-installed with an application (app) designed specifically for cardiac rehabilitation], portable blood pressure monitor, and weight scale while completing the CRP. The completion rate among participants who were randomized to the intervention group was 88%, compared to 67% in the control group ( = 0.038). This combined with the week-to-week frequency with which participants in the intervention group measured their blood pressure ( 5/week) demonstrated the ability of the intervention to increase the proportion of patients who completed the CRP. No significant differences were found between the treatment groups for the measurements taken at baseline and prior to discharge from the CRP. A statistically significant correlation ( = 0.472; = 0.013) was found between the average time participants walked each day (as estimated via the smartphone app) and participants' six minute walking distance (6MWD) before they were discharged from the CRP (a clinically validated measurement).