Cardiac rehab program success means more referrals, growing wait-list on P.E.I.

Some Islanders looking to get into the province's cardiac rehabilitation program may find themselves on a wait-list for months before getting enrolled.

The program helps people recover from heart disease, after a heart attack or prevent attacks from happening again. 

It provides patients with education, health assessments and exercise training with a health-care team to help them as they recover.

Health PEI says more and more Islanders are looking for that help and while high risk patients are still getting into the program quickly, the increasing number of people applying for rehab means lower risk patients are waiting longer.

"The problem with our programs when it comes to cardiac rehab is that it's not first-come, first-served basis," said Tanya Matthews, a registered nurse and program lead with Health PEI.

"Patients are triaged into either high, moderate or low risk and the high, moderate patients are selected to enter cardiac rehab. So the low risk patients may wait longer than the high or moderate risk patients."

Average wait time of 4 months

Ideally, Islanders would get into the program within one month of being referred by a doctor, Matthews said.

But right now, the average wait time is about 4 months. 

There are a number of factors contributing to the increasing wait times, Matthews said, one of them being the high rates of heart disease across the Island.

"The presence of heart disease, it's a prevalent problem. There's about 1,200 patients on P.E.I. each year who experience a cardiac event, so the numbers of people who need this program are high," Matthews said.

There's about 1,200 patients on P.E.I. each year who experience a cardiac event, so the numbers of people who need this program are high.— Tanya Matthews, registered nurse

She said since the program started two years ago it's seen about 250 patients, and as more patients and physicians become aware of the program the number of referrals it gets continues to climb.  

"They're seeing the important positive outcomes that are happening, so our referral rate is going up."

Heart and Stoke offers support

Matthews said there are currently 120 people on the wait-list for the rehab program. 

She said high risk patients are those who have a lot of damage to their heart and have a higher chance of having another cardiac event. Patients can only be deemed low risk if they have little damage and a slim chance of having another event caused by stress or exercise.

But, she said those patients still need support.

"We're currently looking at models or ways to deliver cardiac rehabilitation to those low risk patients that are sitting in the cue and are probably going to wait a really long time to get the program," Matthews said.

"So we are exploring ways to try to deliver something to that group of patients." 

The Heart and Stroke Foundation of P.E.I. says accessing cardio rehab is a challenge felt across the country and it offers resources to help those waiting to be enrolled.

Charlotte Comrie, CEO of Heart and Stroke P.E.I and Nova Scotia, said the group offers monthly peer support meetings for survivors of heart disease and their families as well as an online support community.

"People who've experienced heart disease or stroke can go on there and join," Comrie said.

"It's a mediated group so you're able to speak with people with similar experiences as well as then have access to health professionals if you have questions that need to be addressed."

Health PEI says it also has resources available to those waiting to get into the program on its website. 

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