L’eHealth per l’autogestió dels programes de rehabilitació cardíaca: una revisió bibliogràfica i conceptual

Abstract

Background: Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) are the leading cause of mortality and disability worldwide. Their management requires continuous care, and cardiac rehabilitation (CR) is essential for recovery and secondary prevention. Despite proven benefits, participation in CR programs remains low. Healthcare digitalization and the use of eHealth have emerged as solutions to improve accessibility, continuity of care, and self-management for patients with CVD. Aims: The main objective of this literature review is to describe the eHealth-related factors that facilitate self-management in CR. The specific objectives are to identify the components of eHealth that ensure continuity of care in CVD and to determine the impact and limitations of eHealth in CR. Materials and Methods: A literature review was conducted between November 2024 and April 2025 in the PubMed, Scopus, Dialnet, and CINAHL databases, selecting studies published between 2016 and 2025 in Spanish and English, using MeSH and DeCS terms. Ten studies were included according to the established inclusion and exclusion criteria. Results: The selected studies, mainly from Europe, the United States, and Asia, confirm that digital interventions (eHealth and mHealth) improve self-management, quality of life, and continuity of care in CR. The most effective strategies are telemonitoring, nurse-led digital support, and the use of mobile applications. Cardiac telerehabilitation is as effective as face-to-face rehabilitation and provides significant economic savings, although limitations remain, such as the lack of standardized protocols, the digital divide, the need for further training, and limited long-term evidence. Conclusions: eHealth is a transformative and complementary tool to face-to-face care in CR, promoting self-management, patient empowerment, and healthcare efficiency. Nursing plays a key role in the implementation and follow-up of these interventions. To move forward, it is necessary to overcome the digital divide, invest in training and standardized protocols, and actively involve patients and professionals in the design of digital tools