Background: Despite strong evidence for the benefits of cardiac rehabilitation, it is underutilised in Australia, with low referral and attendance rates for eligible patients. Limited availability of accessible secondary prevention services in both public and private health sectors is partly due to a lack of dedicated funding and appropriate systems for people to access services to suit their needs. A range of barriers to delivery and uptake has been documented.
Objective: To develop an advocacy document identify the most effective strategies for improving access to evidence-based secondary prevention services for cardiovascular disease.
Methods:
1. A scoping document was developed to identify the key issues that are impacting on the delivery of effective secondary prevention services and the factors that impact on access to services for those people with established cardiovascular disease. A review of relevant literature advised this process. Importantly, the needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples were also scoped within this process.
2. The working group identified nine key action areas with specific recommendations. A draft advocacy document was provided to a number of key experts in the area of secondary prevention of cardiovascular disease for their input and opinion.
Results: The paper was launched at the Australian Cardiovascular Health and Rehabilitation Association conference in Canberra in August 2010. The paper makes recommendations and outlines nine key actions needed to be taken by governments, health system planners, policy makers and health professionals to achieve the best health outcomes for Australians with cardiovascular disease.