A Qualitative Study of Patients’ Experiences of Home Cardiac Telerehabilitation in France: "Really Cool and an Opportunity"

Background: While the effectiveness of telerehabilitation after myocardial infarction has been demonstrated, few researchers have explored the experiences of patients engaging in home-based physical exercises. Objective: The objective of our study was to investigate the experiences of patients who have undergone home cardiac telerehabilitation. Methods: Semistructured interviews were conducted with 20 patients having completed a telerehabilitation program. Data were analyzed using thematic analysis. Results: Seven main themes were identified: (1) life changes after heart attack; (2) expressed needs; (3) relationship to physical activity and effort; (4) motivation toward telerehabilitation; (5) perceived benefits of the telerehabilitation; (6) perceived limits of the telerehabilitation; (7) experienced changes gained with telerehabilitation. Our results showed, on the one hand, that the telerehabilitation solution was appreciated by patients. On the other hand, the study highlighted the following needs of patients after a heart attack: information, reassurance, and communication. Conclusions: Results from the current study can contribute to the improvement of telerehabilitation devices and the development of systems to meet the needs of patients upon discharge from the acute phase. This first French qualitative study offers actionable insights for optimizing digital health tools, balancing innovation with the essential human dimension in rehabilitation.