A multi-site prospective controlled pilot evaluation of Cardiac College for Women in the cardiac rehabilitation setting.

Objective: To test the limited efficacy of women-focused educational materials within supervised cardiac rehabilitation (CR) for the first time when compared to standard co-educational CR.

Methods: A multi-site, prospective, pilot study with blinded outcome assessment was conducted at two Canadian CR programs. At intake, participants selected women-only CR with women-focused education (12 weeks) or a standard co-educational program (16 weeks). Both were comprehensive programs, with one education session/week. Outcomes were disease-related knowledge, functional capacity, quality of life, and heart-health behaviours.

Results: Of 114 women approached, 62 (54.4 %) consented. Forty elected the women-only CR program. Pre-CR medication adherence was high. Participants attended approximately 60 % of sessions; 55 (88.7 %) were retained at follow-up. Significant improvements in knowledge, quality of life, and functional capacity were observed in both groups (all p < .05). With adjustment for pre-CR scores, participants in women-only CR exhibited significantly greater improvements in knowledge (p < .05) and adherence to the Mediterranean diet (p = .04) post-program compared to control participants.

Conclusion: Results support of the utility of this women-focused education in the CR setting.

Practice Implications: Integrating women-focused education in CR can enhance health outcomes and address specific needs of female patients.