Ab. No. 74 Women-Focused Cardiac Rehabilitation in India - An Urgent Need

Abstract

Introduction: To review and highlight the current scenario of Cardiovascular disease (CVD) and Cardiac Rehabilitation (CR) offered to women in India and globally. CVD in women resulted in a 35% mortality rate among the total deaths worldwide in 2019. Women’s cardiovascular health needs additional attention because of increased CVD risk factors like diabetes, use of oral contraceptives, menopausal and postpartum issues, and low socioeconomic position. Globally, the rate of women screened, diagnosed, treated for CVD, and enrolled in rehabilitation is way more than in India. Method: Comprehensive literature search was done on search engines, PubMed and Google Scholar. Articles were selected based on the inclusion/exclusion criteria. 25 articles were screened and 16 were included and reviewed. A descriptive analysis was done. Result: The paper summarizes the increasing need and existing shortage of women-focused cardiac care in India. The male-female ratio of cardiac care utilization under Indian government policy was 70:30. Indian women’s low participation is due to financial dependency, lack of knowledge, and poor accessibility. There exists a lack of skilled professionals, dedicated CR centres pan India, and policies to advocate Women-focused CR (WFCR). Globally, 40.9% of countries have CR with 32.1% centres offering WFCR. These programs encompass community classes, home-based/online delivery models, women support groups, buddy programs, flexible scheduling, and comprehensive delivery of educational programs. Conclusion: The way forward for CR in India is to explore possibilities to reduce the barriers faced by women to avail of CR services. Policies need to be formulated to draw women’s attention to healthcare. Training programs should be introduced to upskill our nation’s young physiotherapy professionals. Implication: A bridge between CVD and CR must be formed and more women-centric CR programs should be designed for holistic cardiac health.