Eligibility, Enrollment, and Completion of Exercise-Based Cardiac Rehabilitation Following Stroke Rehabilitation: What Are the Barriers?

Background: People after stroke benefit from comprehensive secondary prevention programs including cardiac rehabilitation (CR), yet there is little understanding of eligibility for exercise and barriers to use.

Objective: The aim of this study was to examine eligibility for CR; enrollment, adherence, and completion; and factors affecting use.

Design: This was a prospective study of 116 consecutive people enrolled in a single outpatient stroke rehabilitation (OSR) program located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.