Digital health tools for post-acute coronary syndrome (ACS) care: what we know, what we don’t, and why sex and gender matter
Digital health tools (DHTs) offer promising opportunities to enhance post-acute coronary syndrome (ACS) care by supporting secondary prevention, medication adherence, lifestyle modification, and remote monitoring. Evidence indicates that DHTs can improve physiological, behavioural, and psychosocial outcomes; however, sex- and gender-specific effects remain largely unstudied. Concurrently, women and gender-diverse individuals continue to experience disparities in all aspects of ACS care, including underdiagnosis, delayed treatment, and lower cardiac rehabilitation participation. This review synthesizes the current evidence on DHTs in post-ACS care, identifies knowledge gaps in sex- and gender-sensitive outcomes, and proposes strategies for designing, implementing, and evaluating inclusive interventions. Intentional integration of sex- and gender-sensitive approaches is essential to achieve equitable benefits and optimized recovery for all patients.
Authors
- Andrea de Haan
- David Kent
- Shuangbo Liu
- Thang Nguyen
- Arshia Bonakdar
Institutions
- St. Boniface Hospital (CA)
- University of Manitoba (CA)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Current Opinion in Physiology
- Published
- 2026-01-27
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cophys.2026.100900
- Primary Topic
- Cardiac Health and Mental Health
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00