The Heart-ACT Cardiac study is a randomized trial of a tailored cardiac rehabilitation program delivered in a safety net setting compared to usual care referral to cardiac rehabilitation.
Program Design
Patients eligible for cardiac rehab will be randomized either to usual care or participation in the study intervention. We will randomize 100 participants, and study visits will be completed at baseline, 3 months, and 12 months. Recruitment began in September 2025 and is ongoing.
At their baseline session, participants will have an individualized assessment, goal, and plan for each component of the program.
Program components for the group randomized to the intervention will include:
- Physical Activity
- Nutrition
- Emotional Wellbeing
- Medication Adherence
- Other items individualized to the participant as need (e.g, tobacco cessation)
Participants who are randomized to usual care will receive usual care and refer in the referral queue for external cardiac rehabilitation. These participants will also complete study visits for questionnaires and measurements.
Aims and Hypotheses
We hypothesize that participation in the tailored cardiac rehabilitation program will be greater than participation in an outside cardiac rehabilitation program.
We will also measure the acceptability of the program and health outcomes in the tailored program, including change in exercise capacity (six minute walking distance), change in quality of life (PROMIS Global Health Mental and Physical Scales), change in risk factors, and adverse events. We will use feedback from participants to iteratively refine the program.
IRB Number: 23-40216