Barriers to Cardiac Rehabilitation

Cardiac rehabilitation (CR) is an essential component in the prevention and management of cardiovascular disease (CVD). High levels of evidence suggest significant benefits with respect to morbidity and mortality in addition to cost savings. However, CR is grossly underutilized and has not received the attention it deserves in India. This underutilization of such an effective intervention is due to the various barriers that exist with respect to awareness and understanding of the benefits of CR among health-care professionals, referrals to CR, limited presence of specialized professionals trained in CR, and a lack of awareness among patients on the benefits of CR. This article describes barriers to CR and proposes some solutions to aid overcoming these.