TY - JOUR
T1 - Establishing Foundations on Both Sides of the Bridge: Exploring Contextual Barriers to Cardiac Rehabilitation Uptake to Inform Digital Health Technology Design
AU - Höppchen, Isabel
AU - Kulnik, Stefan Tino
AU - Reich PhD, Bernhard
AU - Niebauer, Josef
AU - Smeddinck, Jan
AU - Meschtscherjakov, Alexander
AU - Wurhofer, Daniela
N1 - Reich, Niebauer: University Institute of Sports Medicine, Prevention and Rehabilitation, Paracelsus Medical University, Austria
PY - 2024/9
Y1 - 2024/9
N2 - Cardiac rehabilitation (CR) is crucial for secondary prevention of cardiovascular diseases. Yet, many patients with a clear indication of CR do not participate in such programs. To build a more nuanced foundation for developing digital health technologies supporting patients' CR uptake, we explored the practiced CR referral process to identify context-specific barriers in Austria. We conducted a contextual inquiry including four observations in both out- and inpatient settings and 13 stakeholder interviews. The results indicate a lack of a defined referral process, limited intersectoral communication, doctors' unawareness and knowledge gaps, and patients missing clear information about CR. Thus, digital health technologies that aim to support patient-centered cardiovascular care pathways should be designed for timely patient information and engagement, automated referral support, and enhanced intersectoral communication.
AB - Cardiac rehabilitation (CR) is crucial for secondary prevention of cardiovascular diseases. Yet, many patients with a clear indication of CR do not participate in such programs. To build a more nuanced foundation for developing digital health technologies supporting patients' CR uptake, we explored the practiced CR referral process to identify context-specific barriers in Austria. We conducted a contextual inquiry including four observations in both out- and inpatient settings and 13 stakeholder interviews. The results indicate a lack of a defined referral process, limited intersectoral communication, doctors' unawareness and knowledge gaps, and patients missing clear information about CR. Thus, digital health technologies that aim to support patient-centered cardiovascular care pathways should be designed for timely patient information and engagement, automated referral support, and enhanced intersectoral communication.
KW - Contextual inquiry
KW - Healthcare system
KW - Implementation science
KW - Patient pathways
U2 - 10.1145/3670653.3677479
DO - 10.1145/3670653.3677479
M3 - Original Article
SP - 588
EP - 593
JO - MuC '24: Proceedings of Mensch und Computer 2024
JF - MuC '24: Proceedings of Mensch und Computer 2024
T2 - MuC '24: Mensch und Computer 2024
Y2 - 1 September 2024 through 4 September 2024
ER -