Perspectives of Stroke and Cardiac Clinicians on Cardiac Rehabilitation Post-TIA or Mild Stroke.

In this qualitative study, we identified challenges to CR program attendance among completers and noncompleters. Some of these challenges include barriers that have been previously reported such as transportation and scheduling issues.6-8 However, we also identified other more novel barriers that are less well known, including a perceived lack of interaction with CR staff and patients; a feeling of anxiety related to exercise participation; and a feeling of being overwhelmed by medical appointments and other responsibilities, all of which lead the patient to view CR participation at a relatively low priority level. These findings suggest the importance of patient education and psychosocial support to help identify and overcome potential barriers to CR participation. This study was limited by the small sample size and by differing data collection strategies for completers and noncompleters. However, we used a standardized interview guide. A minority of women and employed individuals participated in the study. This may have weakened our ability to collect information from these populations, which along with ethnic minorities and lower income and education attainment, have been shown to be significant disparities in CR utilization.9,10