Cardiac rehabilitation helps people get back on their feet and return to living an active and satisfying life after their heart event – both physically and emotionally.
Yet currently less than one in three heart attack survivors attend cardiac rehabilitation programs in Australia.
The Heart Foundation has conducted an analysis of the national benefits of increasing this participation rate to 65 per cent (which is in line with the gold standard set out in international best practice guidelines).
This analysis released in the lead up to Heart Week (May 1-7) shows that if uptake was increased to 65% the benefits nationally each year could be:
- $35.5 million in savings in healthcare costs
- $58 million in social and economic benefits
- reduction in 2,100 hospital admissions for heart attacks
Heart Foundation’s Chief Medical Advisor, Professor Garry Jennings AO said the analysis showed investing in cardiac rehabilitation made financial sense for governments and importantly would reduce disability and save lives.
“Of the 55,000 heart attacks that will occur this year, each will cost around $30,000 in healthcare costs. That’s more than $1 billion every year,” Prof Jennings said.
“In stark contrast, a cardiac rehabilitation program costs the health system an average $885 per person to attend.”
Studies show that heart attack survivors who have participated in a cardiac rehabilitation program have a greater chance of avoiding a second event - 40% less likely to be readmitted to hospital and 25% less likely to die from another heart attack.
“While the benefits are clear, many people aren’t referred to or don’t attend of cardiac rehabilitation, leaving them at real risk of having another heart attack,” Professor Jennings said.
“A third of people being admitted to hospital for a heart attack have been there before – it isn’t their first heart attack but their second or third, putting major drain on our health services.
“It is startling that people can survive a heart attack and then walk away from the hospital without a program of care to reduce their risk of another attack.”
For more information about Heart Week and cardiac rehabilitation visit www.heartfoundation.org.au/heartweek or call the Heart Foundation Health Information Service on 1300 36 27 87 – it can help find a local cardiac rehabilitation program.
