At the Cardiac Rehabilitation Centre at Richardson Hospital, it used to be that for patients to start cardiac rehab they needed to see a cardiologist to get referrals, which were managed with the program nurse on a weekly basis. Patients had to see the cardiologist and get their approval before seeing a kinesiologist. The kinesiologist would then assess their ability to exercise so patients could begin their rehab.

The lengthy wait times to see a cardiologist meant that patients were left in the lurch while they waited to get into the program. Patients were waiting up to 2 months just to get approval from their cardiologist, and then it could be another month before they saw a kinesiologist. We analyzed the cardiac rehab trajectory and, with help from cardiologists and the medical teams at the hospital and clinic, we were able to establish criteria to allow some patients to join the program without having consulted with a cardiologist beforehand.

Thanks to our new model, patients have 2 avenues to access cardiac rehabilitation. As soon as we receive the patient’s file, we can schedule their first consultation with a nurse and kinesiologist if the patient meets the medical criteria to skip the cardiovascular assessment. This means patients can access the program the month after their file is transferred, instead of waiting 3 months or longer, which is in line with the recommended guidelines for cardiac rehabilitation. Patients can speak with their attending cardiologist or the program’s cardiologist.

Project submitted by:

Debbie Kadoch, occupational therapist and rehab manager

Contributors:

Lisa Masse, kinésiologue, clinical coordinator
Tim Halal, physiotherapist
Catherine Pigeon, nutritionist
Marcela Jiminez, administrative agent
Marie-Pierre Tournier, kinesiologist
Cindy Potechin, psychologist
Kristen Reidel, occupational therapist
Charles- Emmanuel Cote, kinesiologist
Suzana Mlakar, nurse
Patricia Rene, kinesiologist
Maya Nehme, nutritionist