The goal of this pilot clinical trial is to learn if a women-focused education program can improve knowledge, health, and well-being in women with heart disease who are attending cardiac rehabilitation. It will also help researchers understand if this program can be delivered successfully in different rehabilitation programs.
The main questions it aims to answer are:
* Is it feasible to deliver this women-focused education program within routine cardiac rehabilitation programs? * Do women who receive this program show improvements in heart health knowledge, quality of life, and healthy behaviours?
Researchers will compare women who receive the Cardiac College for Women program plus usual cardiac rehabilitation to those who receive usual cardiac rehabilitation alone to see if the program leads to better outcomes.
Participants will:
* Be randomly assigned to receive either the women-focused education program or usual care * Attend cardiac rehabilitation as part of their regular care * Complete questionnaires at the start and end of the program * (If in the intervention group) attend online education sessions and use supporting materials * (Optional) take part in a group discussion about their experience after completing the program
Identify as a woman
Aged 18 years or older
Enrolled in a participating cardiac rehabilitation program
Diagnosis consistent with cardiac rehabilitation eligibility (e.g., coronary artery disease, myocardial infarction, revascularization procedures, spontaneous coronary artery dissection, myocardial infarction with non-obstructive coronary arteries, Takotsubo cardiomyopathy, or heart failure)
Medical, cognitive, or psychiatric conditions that would prevent participation in educational sessions or completion of study questionnaires
Inability to access or use online educational sessions or digital materials required for the intervention
University Health Network, Toronto
Lead sponsor
Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR)
Collaborator