Designing a Nurse-Led eHealth Cardiac Rehabilitation Program: Insights From Participant Experiences and Qualitative Feedback.

Background: This study examines the perspectives of individuals with coronary heart disease (CHD) on a nurse-led eHealth cardiac rehabilitation (NeCR) program, which included a website, tele-monitoring device, and social media chatroom.

Methods: Using a descriptive qualitative approach, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 18 participants to capture their feedback and experiences with the NeCR program.

Results: Participants found the NeCR program valuable in addressing gaps in cardiac rehabilitation services in China, empowering them to make behavioral changes and enhancing their social motivation. However, they also highlighted the need for a more user-friendly website, better symptom management during exercise, and stronger privacy protections in the peer networking chatroom. The study concludes that the NeCR program is feasible in providing accessible rehabilitative services at home post-discharge. Recommendations include improving the self-monitoring platform for ease of use, incorporating immediate symptom management guidance during exercise, and ensuring a secure environment for online peer support.

Conclusions: These findings offer crucial insights for developing patient-centered eHealth cardiac rehabilitation services, emphasizing the importance of user-friendly design, effective symptom management features, and privacy protection in promoting participant engagement with e-platforms.

Trial registration: ChiCTR1800020411 (http://www.chictr.org.cn/showprojen.aspx?proj=33906).