Purpose: To define the user needs and preferences of the athletic population in cardiac (tele)rehabilitation (CTR).

Patients and Methods: In this qualitative study, we included athletes with established coronary artery disease (CAD) who participated in a cardiac rehabilitation (CR) program and health care professionals involved in CR. All athletes engaged in sports for at least four hours per week. Fourteen male and one female athlete (mean age 63 ± 10.6 years) participated in CR after an acute coronary syndrome, percutaneous coronary intervention and/or coronary bypass surgery. The twelve healthcare professionals invited included cardiac nurse practitioners, cardiologists, sports physicians, physiotherapists, and a clinical psychologist. This study consists of four phases: a stakeholder identification session, twenty-five semi-structured individual interviews, six card-sorting focus groups and a data analysis phase with thematic analysis.

Results: User needs for athletes in CR encompass personalized exercise plans featuring clear and quantifiable exercise recommendations and limitations. Additionally, there is a need for monitoring health and exercise data; measuring progression and performance longitudinally; easy-to-use, and reliable healthcare information systems with accurate sensors and data; as well as clinical supervision and validation of information and data. Social support from both peers and family is also identified as a crucial need. The preferred technological features for a CTR system tailored for athletes include periodic digital consultations with clinicians, home-based training specific to one’s sport, utilization of technology to monitor workouts, data sharing and remote feedback, personalized exercise recommendations and online educational materials.

Conclusion: This research explored the user needs and preferences of athlete patients in CR. The findings indicated that enhancing CR for athletes necessitates a personalized and sport-specific methodology. The integration of various technological features within a CTR program can play a pivotal role in assisting athletes with CAD to maintain an active lifestyle and regain their previous athletic performance levels.

Cardiac telerehabilitation (CTR) relies heavily on telemonitoring, predominantly gathering automated biophysical or survey data for clinical decision-making. However, lifestyle change during and after cardiac rehabilitation (CR) outside hospitals is impacted by many contextual factors, including mental well-being or social support. Failure to acknowledge these factors in remote cardiac care could result in healthcare professionals (HCPs) offering standardized recommendations that hinder health management. To gain insights into the utilization of contextual information in clinical decision-making in Dutch CR, we conducted semi-structured interviews with seven HCPs and CR experts. Our data analysis highlights the importance of routine, physical, and psychosocial information during holistic clinical decision-making. We argue for a transition towards a holistic approach to telemonitoring in CTR, discussing implications for more inclusive and contextual data-gathering practices.