Smartphone-based Home Care and Cardiac Rehab Post MI
Smartphone-based Home Care and Cardiac Rehab Post MI
A major limitation of this study is the small sample size. Although powered for completion rate outcome, it was too small to demonstrate functional capacity outcomes, particularly due to considerable dropouts. CAP-CR reduced waiting time from referral to commencing CR by 2 weeks on average. The shorter recovery time may have influenced outcomes. This study, however, did not observe the effect of this outcome between the two groups. Based on CAP-CR's significant improvements in uptake and adherence, future studies should investigate its effectiveness on functional capacity in a larger sample. This study focused only on patients referred to CR post-MI and did not address all patients eligible for CR. Furthermore, having a preference group, as described in Dalal et al, would have enhanced our study, as a better measure of uptake and adherence in a real life, based on personal preferences and choice given in CR service. Willingness to be randomised to specific treatment strategy did impact on recruitment into the trial and explains to some degree the slow recruitment of eligible patients. While a blinded RCT is preferred in validating treatments, it is hard to blind patients to new treatment modes.
Limitations
A major limitation of this study is the small sample size. Although powered for completion rate outcome, it was too small to demonstrate functional capacity outcomes, particularly due to considerable dropouts. CAP-CR reduced waiting time from referral to commencing CR by 2 weeks on average. The shorter recovery time may have influenced outcomes. This study, however, did not observe the effect of this outcome between the two groups. Based on CAP-CR's significant improvements in uptake and adherence, future studies should investigate its effectiveness on functional capacity in a larger sample. This study focused only on patients referred to CR post-MI and did not address all patients eligible for CR. Furthermore, having a preference group, as described in Dalal et al, would have enhanced our study, as a better measure of uptake and adherence in a real life, based on personal preferences and choice given in CR service. Willingness to be randomised to specific treatment strategy did impact on recruitment into the trial and explains to some degree the slow recruitment of eligible patients. While a blinded RCT is preferred in validating treatments, it is hard to blind patients to new treatment modes.
