Patient Education Resources

Cardiac College: an Open Source, Evidence-Based, Online Patient Education Program for Cardiac Rehab

Cardiac College is part of a virtual institute – part of Health e-University – that, consistent with the cardiac rehab (CR) program at Toronto Rehab Institution and University Health Network (TRI-UHN, Canada), aims to help people treat heart disease, get active, eat healthy, feel well, and take control of their health. The theoretical frameworks underpinning the design and development of the college are intended to reduce barriers to access and enable knowledge acquisition and health behaviour change. The college presents a CR education curriculum developed in multiple delivery formats including a website, patient guide, videos, and learning management system (LMS). These tools can be used alone or in combination with other educational materials and strategies.

Cardiac THRIVE (Targeted Health Risk Intervention and Education) Program is a 12-week structured educational program that provides guidance to move through the college materials. Freely available to all on the website. Each week patients will have a Learn, Plan, Do, Reflect structure and learning activities will include short videos, whiteboard animations, and readings.

Cardiac College materials are available in the following languages: English, French, Portuguese, Hindi, Punjabi, Spanish, Arabic, Simplified and Traditional Chinese. Soon: Marathi.

Diabetes College website

Cardiac College THRIVE

Publications:

Ghisi GLM, Scane K, Sandison N, Maksymiu S, Skeffington V, Oh P. Development of and educational curriculum for cardiac rehabilitation patients and their families. Clinical & Experimental Cardiology 2015;6:5. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.4172/2155-9880.1000373

Ghisi GL, Grace SL, Thomas S, Oh P. Behavior determinants among cardiac rehabilitation patients receiving educational interventions: An application of the health action process approach. Patient Educ Couns 2015;98:612-21. PMID: 25638305.

Ghisi GLM, Grace SL, Thomas S, Vieira AM, Costa IZ, Oh P. Knowledge and exercise behavior maintenance in cardiac rehabilitation patients receiving educational interventions. Heart & Lung 2015; 44(6): 474-80. PMID: 26459971.

Chaves G, Ghisi GLM, Oh P, Britto R, Grace SL. Effects of comprehensive cardiac rehabilitation on functional capacity and cardiovascular risk factors in Brazilians assisted by public health care: protocol for a randomized controlled trial. Brazilian Journal of Physical Therapy 2016; 20(6):592-600. http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/bjpt-rbf.2014.0192

Chaves GSS, Ghisi GLM, Grace SL, Oh P, Ribeiro AL, Britto RR. Effects of comprehensive cardiac rehabilitation on functional capacity in a middle-income country: a randomized trial. Heart 2019;105:406–413. doi:10.1136/heartjnl-2018-313632

Chaves GSS, Ghisi GLM, et al. Maintenance of Gains, Morbidity and Mortality One-Year Following Cardiac Rehabilitation in a Middle-Income Country: A Wait-List Control Crossover Trial. Journal of the American Heart Association 2019; 8(4): e011228. doi: 10.1161/JAHA.118.011228.

Ghisi GLM, Grace SL, Anchique CV, Gordillo X, Fernandez R, Quesada D, Arrieta B, Reyes P, Chaparro E, Soca R, Fernandez J, Heredia M, Palomino R, Oh P. Translation and evaluation of a comprehensive educational program for cardiac rehabilitation patients in Latin America: A Multi-National, Longitudinal Study. Patient Education and Counseling. 2020. In press.

Ghisi GLM, Alavinia M, Aultman C, Rouleau F, Ross MK, Dufour-Doiron M, Belliveau SL, Brideau JR, Oh P. Predictors of exercise maintenance 6 months after comprehensive cardiac rehabilitation. Journal of Cardiopulmonary Prevention and Rehabilitation. 2020. In press.

Ghisi GLM, Aultman C, Konidis R, Foster E, Tahsinul A, Sandison N, Sarin M, Oh P. Effectiveness of an education intervention associated with an exercise program in improving knowledge and health behaviours among diabetes patients. Patient Education and Counseling. 2020; 103: 1790-7.

Ghisi GLM, Rouleau F, Ross MK, Dufour-Doiron M, Belliveau SL, Brideau JR, Aultman C, Thomas S, Colella T, Oh P. Effectiveness of an education intervention among cardiac rehabilitation patients in Canada: A Multi-Site Study. Canadian Journal of Cardiology Open. 2020; 2(4): 214-221. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cjco.2020.02.008.

Ghisi GLM, Chaves GSS, Ribeiro AL, Oh P, Raquel RR, Grace SL. Comprehensive Cardiac Rehabilitation Effectiveness in a Middle-income Setting: a Randomized Controlled Trial. Journal of Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation and Prevention 2020; 40(6):399-406.

Arrieta-Bartolomé, G., Supervia, M., Velasquez, A., Delgado-Montero, A., Méndez, I., Orduñez, M., Arroyo-Riaño, O., Aultman, C., Oh, P., & Ghisi, G. (2022). Evaluating the effectiveness of a comprehensive patient education intervention in a hybrid model of cardiac rehabilitation: A pilot study. PEC innovation, 1, 100054. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pecinn.2022.100054 

Nascimento IO, Assis MG, Ghisi GLM, Britto RR. A Qualitative Study of Perceptions of Two Models of Cardiac Rehabilitation among Coronary Artery Disease Patients. Brazilian Journal of Physical Therapy. 2021; 25(5): 552-562.

Ghisi GLM, Seixas MB, Pereira DS, Cisneros LL, Ezequiel DGA, Aultman C, Sandison N, Oh P, Silva LP. Patient education program for Brazilians living with diabetes and prediabetes: findings from a development study. BMC Public Health. 2021; 21(1): 1236.

Xia L, Ghisi GLM, Meng S, Grace SL, Shi W, Zhang L, Gallagher R, Oh P, Aultman C, Sandison N, Ding B, Zhang Y. Establishing a process to translate and adapt health education materials for natives and immigrants: the case of Mandarin adaptations of cardiac rehabilitation education. Heart & Lung. 2021; 50: 794-817.

Santos RZ, Sheafer AK, Bonin CDB, Vieira AM, Karsten M, Benetti M, Oh P, Ghisi GLM. Preliminary efects of a Structured Educational Program in Cardiac Patients at Different Stages of Enrollment in Cardiovascular Rehabilitation. International Quarterly of Community Health Education. 2022. In press.

Xia l, Grace SL, Ghisi GLM, Shi W, Sheng CX, Oh P Zhang QY. Controlled Pilot Test of a Translated Cardiac Rehabilitation Education Curriculum in Percutaneous Coronary Intervention Patients in a Middle-Income Country Delivered Using WeChat: Acceptability, Engagement, Satisfaction, and Preliminary Outcomes. Health Education Research. 2022. In press. 

Ghisi GLM, Aultman C, Konidis R, Sandison N, Oh P. Developing a group-based virtual education curriculum for cardiac rehabilitation and the associated toolkit to support implementation in Canada and across the globe. Heart & Lung. 2022. In press.