NICE Recommends Six Digital Platforms for Cardiac Rehab

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has conditionally recommended six online platforms to support cardiac rehabilitation for adults with cardiovascular disease (CVD).

The draft guidance allows the technologies to be used across the NHS for a 3-year trial period. Patients will be able to complete rehabilitation at home using smartphones, tablets, or computers.

The platforms are Activate Your Heart, D REACH-HF, Digital Heart Manual, Gro Health HeartBuddy, KiActiv, and myHeart. 

They provide services such as exercise programmes, CVD education, dietary advice, medication management, and psychological support. Some also incorporate wearable devices to monitor activity levels.

Addressing Low Participation

Cardiac rehabilitation is a proven therapy that lowers the risk for repeat cardiac events and hospital readmissions. Yet, participation in traditional, in-person programmes remains low. 

In 2023, only 41% of eligible patients with acute coronary syndrome and 13% of those with heart failure in England took part. 

Digital platforms aim to improve access, particularly among groups with historically low participation rates. These include women, younger patients, ethnic minorities, and those unable to attend in-person sessions due to work, travel, or other commitments.

Dr Anastasia Chalkidou, NICE’s HealthTech programme director, said that the platforms “offer real potential to transform how cardiac rehabilitation is offered to people to meet their individual circumstances,” adding that “early data is promising and suggests, with safeguards in place, more people should now be given the opportunity to use these new technologies.”

Evidence and Safeguards

Clinical data are already available for several platforms. Activate Your Heart has been evaluated in three studies, including two randomised controlled trials (RCTs), while KiActiv has two studies, including one RCT, and myHeart has been assessed in two trials, including one RCT. 

Results suggest that digital rehabilitation can improve exercise capacity, cardiovascular risk profiles, and health-related quality of life.

During the 3-year trial, evidence will be collected on clinical outcomes, uptake among diverse patient groups, cost-effectiveness, potential adverse events, and comparisons with standard rehabilitation. 

The conditional recommendation forms part of NICE’s Early Value Assessment process. Following the trial, NICE will review the data and decide whether the technologies should be rolled out more widely across the NHS.

NICE stressed that the recommended platforms should be used only after a full clinical assessment by a trained NHS professional to ensure they are suitable for each patient. Not all patients will be appropriate for digital rehabilitation, as barriers such as limited digital literacy and lack of access to devices may prevent some patients from taking part. 

Clinicians should also be aware that additional support may be needed for certain groups, including older adults, people with disabilities, those experiencing homelessness, and individuals for whom English is not a first language.

Further Research

Seven additional platforms — Beat Better, Datos Health, Get Ready, Luscii Vitals, Pumping Marvellous Cardiac Rehab Platform, R Plus Health, and Sword Move — require further research before routine NHS use. They should be offered only in research settings.

A consultation on the draft recommendations is open until 3 September 2025, with comments invited via the NICE website.