World Heart Federation Roadmap on cardiac rehabilitation: a pathway to lifelong cardiovascular health.

Authors

Julie Redfern, Randal J Thomas, Tom Briffa, Lilian Mbau, Robyn Gallagher, Dion Candelaria, Irene Gibson, Wen-Chih Wu, Alexis Beatty, Gabriela L M Ghisi, Alice Namanja, Dawn Scantlebury, Abraham Samuel Babu, Giulliano Gardenghi, Yihong Sun, Aashish Contractor, Ana Abreu, Roque Daniel González, Pat O'Donnell, Rongjing Ding, David Wood, Sidney C Smith

Published in

Nature reviews. Cardiology. Jul 13, 2026. Epub Jul 13, 2026.

Abstract

With an ageing population and the persistence of unhealthy lifestyle behaviours, health-care systems are challenged by a growing number of individuals living longer with cardiovascular disease and its sequelae. The evolution of cardiac rehabilitation, from a group exercise-based programme to encompassing all aspects of secondary prevention, has led to the ultimate objective of achieving lifelong cardiovascular health for all. In this World Heart Federation Roadmap, we present a united and forward-looking vision to consolidate global and collaborative efforts that enhance equitable access, improve patient outcomes and ensure value-based health care. The Roadmap outlines a reframing of terminology and interconnected solutions founded on unity, person-centredness and being future-focused. The five key roadblocks and widely applicable solutions are interlinked and include having a greater emphasis on lifelong cardiovascular health, better engagement among patients and clinicians, a greater emphasis on new models of care, workforce strengthening and support for strong advocacy and policy. We present a series of practical solutions and successful international case studies. The next steps are to facilitate local and regional implementation and evaluation strategies. A shift to systems, policy and advocacy thinking is crucial for the sector, with a view to long-term investment to meet growing demands. This World Heart Federation Roadmap is endorsed by the International Council of Cardiovascular Prevention and Rehabilitation.

PMID:
42443501
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 14 Jul 2026.

Read full publication at:
Please sign in to see all details.

Stats

1-terrible, 9-excellent. How would you rate this publication? Sign in in to submit your rating.

Post a comment

You need to be signed in to post comments. You can sign in here.

Comments

There are no comments yet.