What are the Four Phases of Cardiac Rehab?

Min Naruki-van Velzen, MSc, discusses the phase-based approach to cardiac rehab.

Cardiac rehab has four phases.

Phase one is by the bedside and it's usually done by the nurse or occupational therapist, physiotherapist.

Once you're discharged home you'll be offered an outpatient program where you'll be coming into the hospital.

This is usually called phase two to three cardiac rehab and it again involves exercise classes two to three times a week, and you'll be supervised by a team of multi-disciplinary health care professionals.

Once you finish that program, which is usually four to six months in length, you'll be sent out to a community-based program - phase four, where you can carry on with programs indefinitely and stick to lifelong exercise and healthy living.

We take this phase-based approach to cardiac rehab so that we can start you in a supervised setting that's very safe when you're perhaps a little bit new, recently finished a cardiac event.

And then we try to progress you on to more self-directed, less supervised programs. If you have more questions in terms of the phase-based approach to cardiac rehab or getting involved in a cardiac rehab program please contact your family doctor or cardiologist about being involved in a cardiac rehab program.