Barriers to Cardiac Rehabilitation Enrollment and Secondary Prevention Adherence in Patients with Coronary Heart Disease Following Percutaneous Coronary Intervention: A Cross-sectional Survey.

Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate adherence to secondary prevention measures and to identify barriers to cardiac rehabilitation enrolment among patients with coronary heart disease after percutaneous coronary intervention.

Methods: An observational cross-sectional survey was conducted through computer-assisted telephone interviews to assess recently treated percutaneous coronary intervention patients at the Prince Sultan Cardiac Center in Saudi Arabia.

Results: Out of 104 surveyed patients with coronary heart disease, 85 (82%) were male, with an average age of 59.5 years. The obesity rate was 28% ( = 29), with a high prevalence of comorbidities: 82 (79%), 63 (61%), and 62 (60%) patients had hyperlipidemia, diabetes, and hypertension, respectively. Despite high medication compliance (97%), adherence to secondary prevention measures was low (21%). Adherence to physical exercise and weight monitoring for fluid body build-up was notably poor at 35% and 9%, respectively. Only 11 (10.6%) patients were referred for cardiac rehabilitation, of whom only four (36.4%) attended. Significant barriers such as a lack of staff contact, insufficient physician support, and distance to cardiac rehabilitation facilities were particularly noted by 69% of rural patients.

Conclusions: This study underscores the significant cardiac risk factors and low adherence to secondary prevention measures among post revascularization patients with coronary heart disease in Saudi Arabia. Low referral and other organizational barriers, as well as the travel distance to hospital-based cardiac rehabilitation, hinder program enrolment. To improve cardiac rehabilitation accessibility, it is crucial to revise the discharge plans, implement automated referral systems, expand the services across all regions, and utilize alternative delivery models.