Cardiac rehabilitation in Portugal: Results from the 2013-14 national survey.

Introduction: In recent years, cardiac rehabilitation (CR) programs have evolved from being limited to exercise training to comprehensive secondary prevention programs. Given the solid scientific evidence supporting them, they are given a class I recommendation in the American and European guidelines for various cardiovascular diseases, but they continue to be underused in Portugal.

Objective: To analyze the situation of CR programs in Portugal in 2013-14 and to assess developments in recent years.

Methods: In November 2014, a questionnaire was sent to the centers offering CR programs that included the following items: name of the center; composition of the team; phases and components; number of participants and diagnoses; and funding bodies. The percentage of patients with myocardial infarction admitted to phase II CR programs in 2013 was calculated based on data from the Directorate-General of Health (DGS).

Results: Twenty-three centers offering CR programs were identified, 12 public and 11 private. The number of centers rose from 16 in 2007 to 23 in 2014. In 2013, 1927 patients participated in phase II programs, nearly three times the number rehabilitated in 2007 (638 patients). Myocardial infarction was the referral diagnosis in 999 patients, accounting for 51.8% of admissions. On the basis of DGS data, 8% of patients with myocardial infarction were admitted to phase II CRPs in 2013, as opposed to 3% in 2007.

Conclusion: The number of patients admitted to CR programs, as well as the number of centers, increased considerably between 2007 and 2014 in Portugal. Despite these favorable developments, further improvements are still needed.