NICE draft guidance recommends digital cardiac rehabilitation
GPs may see more of their patients recovering from heart disease offered digital rehabilitation at home, after NICE conditionally recommended six new technologies for NHS use.
Draft guidance published today (19 August) recommends that the platforms – Activate Your Heart, D REACH-HF, Digital Heart Manual, Gro Health HeartBuddy, KiActiv and myHeart – can be used during a three-year evidence generation period while further data on effectiveness is collected.
The tools deliver exercise programmes, education on cardiovascular disease, dietary advice, medication management and psychological support, with some linking to wearable devices.
NICE highlighted persistently low uptake of traditional cardiac rehabilitation services – only 41% of eligible people with acute coronary syndrome and 13% of those with heart failure in England took part in 2023. It said digital options could help reach patients who struggle to attend face-to-face sessions, including women, younger people, ethnic minorities and those in deprived areas.
However, its independent advisory committee stressed that a ‘trained NHS healthcare professional’ must conduct a full clinical assessment before the technologies are offered to ensure suitability. The guidance does not specify whether this responsibility would fall to GPs or secondary care teams.
Dr Anastasia Chalkidou, HealthTech programme director at NICE, said: ‘These digital platforms offer real potential to transform how cardiac rehabilitation is offered to people to meet their individual circumstances. We know that traditional programmes aren’t reaching everyone who could benefit – particularly women, younger patients and people from ethnic minority backgrounds.
‘The early data is promising and suggests, with safeguards in place, more people should now be given the opportunity to use these new technologies. This three-year evidence collection period will give us the additional robust data we need to determine whether these innovations should be recommended as a permanent part of cardiac care.’
NICE added that additional support may be required for older patients, those with disabilities, people experiencing homelessness and patients without English as a first language.
Seven other platforms, including Beat Better, Datos Health and Sword Move, were not recommended for NHS adoption at this stage and should only be used in research settings.
A consultation on the draft guidance is open until 3 September.
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