Project Title: Getting ‘Back on Track’ after a heart event: trial of an online program

Project Lead: Dr Michelle Rogerson (Australian Centre for Heart Health)

Project Description: The Back on Track project involved trialling the Back on Track program, a self-management program delivered online, allowing people to complete desired modules when and where they want, at their own pace. The program is designed to help people improve their behavioural and emotional wellbeing after a cardiac event.

Project Outputs:

Project Title: The use of ambient and individual music listening during cardiac rehabilitation in Australia

Project Lead: Annemarie Lee (Monash University)

Project Description: This study is interested in whether background music is used during cardiac rehabilitation or whether individual participants listen to their own selection of music during cardiac rehabilitation exercise sessions.

Project Outputs:

Project Title: The development of a consensus-based guideline for objective cardiovascular assessment in clinical exercise services. A Delphi Study

Project Lead: Bethany Gower (University of South Australia)

Project Description: This study aimed to develop consensus-based recommendations on objective measures of cardiovascular function in the assessment of people receiving clinical exercise services.

Project Outputs:

Project Title: An Investigation into the Provision of Nutrition Care in Cardiac Rehabilitation Services in Australia

Project Lead: Lucy Kocanda (University of Newcastle)

Project Description: This project aimed to improve knowledge of current nutrition care practice in CR, as well as barriers and facilitators to providing nutrition care.

Project Outputs:

Project Title: Investigating Cardiac Rehabilitation for transient ischaemic Attack and Mild-Stroke (CRAMS)

Project Lead: Eve Dudley (University of Canberra)

Project Description: This study aimed to explore in‑depth barriers and enablers to transient ischaemic attack (TIA) and mild‑stroke inclusion in cardiac rehabilitation programs.

Project Outputs:

Project Title: Increasing the uptake of cardiopulmonary resuscitation training in Australian cardiac rehabilitation programs

Project Lead: Dr Susie Cartledge (Monash University)

Project Description: N/A

Project Outputs:

Project Title: Australian healthcare professionals' self-efficacy in educating Chinese-speaking cardiac patients: a combined methods study

Project Lead: Jialin Li (University of Sydney)

Project Description: N/A

Project Outputs:

Project Title: Use of cardiac rehabilitation by patients who have stroke

Project Lead: Nicole Freene (Canberra University)

Project Description:

Project Outputs:

Project Title: Intimacy and sexual relationships after heart attack: current scope of practice among health

Project Lead: Rachelle Foreman (Heart Foundation)

Project Description: N/A

Project Outputs:

Project Title: A national survey of cardiac rehabilitation programs in Australia: Program characteristics and psychosocial screening practices

Project Lead: Alun Jackson (Australian Centre for Heart Health)

Project Description: N/A

Project Outputs:

• Jackson AC, Le Grande MR, Higgins RO, Rogerson M, Murphy BM. Psychosocial screening and assessment practice within cardiac rehabilitation: a survey of cardiac rehabilitation coordinators in Australia. Heart, Lung and Circulation. 2017 Jan 1;26(1):64-72.
• Jackson AC, Higgins RO, Murphy BM, Rogerson M, Le Grande MR. Cardiac rehabilitation in Australia: a brief survey of program characteristics. Heart, Lung and Circulation. 2018 Dec 1;27(12):1415-20.

Click here to read the report to ACRA

Project Title: A national survey of the characteristics of exercise training delivered in Australian Cardiac Rehabilitation programs,

Project Lead: Bridget Abell (Bond University)

Project Description and Findings: Exercise training is a core component of cardiac rehabilitation (CR), however, little information exists regarding the specific exercise interventions currently provided for coronary heart disease in Australian practice. This study conducted a nationwide survey of the current status of exercise-based CR services in Australia, with particular focus on the individual elements of the exercise intervention. Considerable variability in exercise training characteristics was observed across Australian programmes, yet individual programmes themselves offered patients with few options for exercise. Most of the exercise training provided within Australian CR programmes remains within traditional hospital, group-based models.

Project Outputs:

• Abell B, Glasziou P, Briffa T, Hoffmann T. Exercise training characteristics in cardiac rehabilitation programmes: a cross-sectional survey of Australian practice. Open Heart. 2016 Feb 1;3(1):e000374.
• Exercise training in Australian cardiac rehab: A snapshot of current nationwide practice (ACRA 2015 ASM Presentation)