Cardiac rehabilitation for heart failure: Do older people want to attend and are they referred?

PurposeUptake of cardiac rehabilitation services by older people is suboptimal. Offering suitable services may increase participation. This study investigated older heart failure patients’ preferences between hospital, community and home-based service models and sociodemographic and clinical factors associated with these preferences. Rates of referral were examined.MethodsCross-sectional survey of patients aged 65 years and older consecutively admitted to elderly care, cardiology and general medicine wards in a large UK hospital with confirmed heart failure between March–December 2009. A 57-item interview schedule incorporating open and closed questions and standard measures was developed enabling both quantitative and qualitative analysis. Associations between patients’ preferences and characteristics including disease severity (New York Heart Association [NYHA] classification) and comorbidity (Charlson comorbidity score) were analysed using Chi-squared tests and one-way ANOVA.ResultsOne hundred and six interviews were completed (mean age 77.8 ± 7.3, 62% male, 47% lived alone). Most patients had moderate–severe heart failure (55% NYHA class III; 34% class II) and co-morbidities (mean Charlson score 3.3 ± 1.7). Most opted for cardiac rehabilitation (72%), preferring hospital to community classes. Those preferring hospital programmes were younger (mean 5.1 years, 95% CI –10.1 to –0.1, P = 0.043) than those preferring not to participate. Neither disease severity nor comorbidity was associated with preferences. Only 21% were referred to any cardiac rehabilitation service.ConclusionMost of these older heart failure patients wanted to attend cardiac rehabilitation, but few were referred. Age was related to preferring certain cardiac rehabilitation service models but not to an overall preference to attend. Referral processes need urgent improvement and offering choice of service models may increase participation.