RECENT NEWS:

New CRFC Optional Module

We are excited to introduce a new optional module in the Cardiovascular Rehabilitation Foundations Certification (CRFC) program: Cardiac Rehabilitation Access & Utilization. With this addition, the CRFC now includes 8 core modules and 2 optional modules, offering learners more opportunities to specialize in key areas of cardiac rehabilitation. This new module focuses on improving access to and utilization of cardiac rehab services, equipping healthcare professionals with the strategies to ensure more patients benefit from these life-saving programs.

Another optional module focuses on Engaging Women in Cardiac Rehabilitation, addressing the unique barriers and strategies to improve women's participation in rehab programs.

The CRFC continues to empower healthcare professionals with the skills and knowledge to deliver high-quality, patient-centred care in diverse settings worldwide. Learn more here.

World Heart Day and ICCPR

During the month of September and in the days leading up to September 29, 2024, ICCPR came together to celebrate World Heart Day with a powerful initiative that highlighted the significance of cardiac rehabilitation in promoting heart health. This year’s theme centered on what ICCPR members say "Yes" to when it comes to preventing and managing cardiovascular disease (CVD). The heart of the celebration was a vibrant video featuring 11 ICCPR members from 6 countries. In this engaging visual narrative, they shared their personal commitments and collective aspirations for enhancing cardiovascular health.

Read the full story here.

1st Global Forum on Cardiac Prevention and Rehabilitation

ICCPR and SOLVE-CHD are thrilled to unveil the 1st Global Forum on Cardiac Prevention and Rehabilitation, set for August 29, 2024, in London, UK.  All information about this event is available here.

World Rehabilitation Alliance News

The World Rehabilitation Alliance (WRA) is a WHO global network of stakeholders whose mission is to support the implementation of the Rehabilitation 2030 Initiative through advocacy activities. ICCPR is a member of WRA. Their newest editorial "Importance of Health Policy and Systems Research for Strengthening Rehabilitation in Health Systems: A Call to Action to Accelerate Progress"  is available here.

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ICCPR is an official member of the World Rehabilitation Alliance

First guidelines on Women-focused Cardiac Rehabilitation by ICCPR published in the Canadian Journal of Cardiology

Women are an under-represented patient group in cardiac rehab, despite great need. Once enrolled, women are more likely to dropout and often don’t improve to the same degree as men. Therefore ICCPR embarked on a rigorous process to develop the first clinical practice guideline on women-focused CR: Ghisi GLM, Marzolini S, Price J, Beckie T, Mamataz T, Naheed A, Grace SL. Women-Focused Cardiovascular Rehabilitation: An ICCPR Clinical Practice Guideline. Canadian Journal of Cardiology. 2022. DOI: 10.1016/j.cjca.2022.06.021 This work was endorsed by 24 associations working with us on implementation. See more here.

ICCPR Cardiovascular Rehabilitation Foundations Certification (CRFC) Scholarship Winners Announced!

The International Council of Cardiovascular Prevention and Rehabilitation is pleased to congratulate 23 recipients of ICCPR CRFC scholarships. These support healthcare providers and trainees from low- and-middle income countries (LMICs) with the entire application fee of $100USD. The scholarships are funded by SOLVE-CHD National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia Synergy Grant led by Professor Julie Redfern. Completion of the CRFC demonstrates foundational understanding of all core CR components. We are delighted to have completely updated the CRFC based on the latest evidence this year. We look forward to having these recipients among the ~1400 other CRFCs globally, and counting….

We received many more applications than we had scholarships unfortunately. We encourage interested trainees and healthcare providers to explore the CRFC (https://globalcardiacrehab.com/Certification) and other training opportunities on our website (https://globalcardiacrehab.com/Training). And watch our social media channels as there will be a competition for a free CRFC scholarship in early 2023. We will also post news when each recipient passes their test and earns their CRFC!

Video Overviews Available on ICCPR’s Registry and Program Certification

In case you missed it, the webinar recordings about ICCPR’s new International Cardiac Rehab Registry (ICRR) and Program Certification are now available on our website and YouTube channel. Therein, we reviewed ICRR objectives, development, the protocol, the process to join, and demo’ed the registry. In the latter recording, you can find an overview of the program certification processes and standards. Remember you can express your interest in joining the registry at any time by completing the program survey available here. Don’t hesitate to be in touch with any questions by emailing us at iccpr.icrr@gmail.com.

Sincerely, ICRR co-chairs Sherry & Karam Turk-Adawi, and User subcommittee chair for on-boarding Gabriela Ghisi. ICCPR Program Certification co/vice-chairs Emma Thomas and Aashish Contractor.

ICCPR launches Program Certification

ICCPR is delighted to announce its new Program Certification. See: https://globalcardiacrehab.com/Program-Certification

We will be hosting a webinar for those of you interested in learning more about ICCPR’s new International Cardiac Rehab Registry (ICRR) and Program Certification. It will be held on Monday November 15^th from 9-10am eastern. Interested sites can learn more and consider being a part. We will review ICRR objectives, give an overview of the protocol, the process to join, demo the registry, the program certification processes and standards,  and spend much of the time in Q&A (we want to hear from you!). If you are interested in attending, contact us to get calendar invite with login details at iccpr.icrr@gmail.com. If you can’t attend this session, not to worry as we will host another one a bit later at a time more concordant with business hours beyond the Americas. We will also record it and post it to our website.

Remember, you can express your interest in joining the registry at any time by completing the program survey available here. Don’t hesitate to be in touch with any questions at the gmail shown above, or to peruse the various pages of our website where you can find details on what the registry has to offer your program at no cost. We are so thrilled to have launched the registry this Fall with programs in Qatar and Iran, and to have finalized our plans for recognizing programs of high quality. In CR, we measure up! 

Sincerely, ICRR co-chairs Sherry Grace & Karam Turk-Adawi, and User subcommittee chair for on-boarding Gabriela Ghisi & ICCPR Program Certification co/vice-chairs Emma Thomas and Aashish Contractor.

Webinar on Women and CVD for Heart Month

We would like to bring your attention to a webinar that ICCPR sponsored in collaboration with Ireland’s National Institute for Prevention and Cardiovascular Health (NIPC), and our member American Society for Preventive Cardiology (ASPC; Pam Taub is their current ICCPR rep, and Martha Gulati [President elected] spoke on the webinar) for heart month. It was on women and heart health. Our immediate past-chair Prof. Sherry Grace spoke about cardiac rehab. This event happened on Feb 11, 2-3:30pm eastern time. Click here to watch.

New publication

Buckley JP, et al. Acute glycaemic management before, during and after exercise for cardiac rehabilitation participants with diabetes mellitus: a joint statement of the British and Canadian Associations of Cardiovascular Prevention and Rehabilitation, the International Council for Cardiovascular Prevention and Rehabilitation and the British Association of Sport and Exercise Sciences. Br J Sports Med. 2020 Dec 23:bjsports-2020-102446. doi: 10.1136/bjsports-2020-102446. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 33361136. Click here to read.

ICCPR new CR Program Email Distribution List

On December 18th, 2020 we have introduced our new CR Program Email Distribution List, through which we aim to disseminate information about cardiovascular prevention and rehabilitation directly to interested programs globally. Given there are not CR societies in every country globally who could be ICCPR members and hence hear about the latest CR information, upon suggestion of an ICCPR member, ICCPR Exec has recently approved a policy to reach out to individual CR program contacts to share information in support of our mission as outlined in our Charter. It shall serve as a mechanism to distribute time-sensitive announcements and information to CR programs globally. All communications will be vetted by ICCPR’s Secretary to ensure they meet with the policy, and frequency of emails shall be limited. The emails in the list will not be shared with any external parties. Click here to learn more and subscribe.

#LetsTalkICCPR

One of ICCPR's goals is to bring together national associations from around the world, to harmonize efforts in promoting CV prevention and rehab. This is why we are asking you to TALK about CR: use #letstalkiccpr on social media posts and share ideas, suggestions, barriers and initiatives with us.

ICCPR free, brief evidence-based online course for referral sources on how to promote CR to patients is now available in 5 languages

ICCPR convened a multidisciplinary, global panel of experts to develop a policy statement on promoting CR use in patients (enrolment, adherence and completion). We have also developed an accompanying online course, training inpatient cardiac healthcare providers on how to encourage their patients to utilize CR at the bedside. The course is available in English, Portuguese, Spanish, French and Simplified Chinese. Click here for more information and to access the course.

ICCPR has a YouTube Channel
ICCPR has a YouTube Channel where we will be posting videos of our events and initiatives. Please click here to access this page.

ICCPR is now part of the EAPC Global Network
The EAPC Global Network is a precious resource for organizations involved in the promotion of excellence in research, practice, education and policy in cardiovascular health, primary and secondary prevention on a global scale. The aim is to facilitate international collaboration; the network is open to scientific societies active in the field of preventive cardiology. You can find more information about this group clicking here.

ICCPR launches ICCPR Cardiovascular Rehabilitation Foundations Certification (ICCPR CRFC)
On September 29, 2017 ICCPR launched the ICCPR CRFC program. The goal of this certification program is to increase capacity for CR delivery around the globe. This course educates students and practitioners on how to deliver all the core CR components, in accordance with ICCPR’s consensus statement on CR delivery in low-resource settings. Upon completion of the certification program, graduates will be equipped with the knowledge to deliver basic preventive and rehabilitation services for cardiovascular disease. For more information click here.

ICCPR publishes a paper on Advocacy for outpatient cardiac rehabilitation globally
In September 2016, an ICCPR team led by Dr. Abraham Babu published these guidelines, which will help countries across the world lead advocacy campaigns to have cardiac rehabilitation services included as part of their healthcare. Click here for the full version of the article: Click here for supplementary information on 4 advocacy success stories in different regions of the world.

ICCPR publishes guidelines for cardiac rehabilitation in low resource settings
In May, 2016, a team of researchers led by Dr. Sherry Grace, published these guidelines in the prestigious journal, “Heart”, of BMJ. This statement is endorsed by the leading cardiovascular prevention and rehabilitation societies, across the world. Click here for the full version of the article:  (Click here for the official press release)