WomenFocused Education in CArdiac REhabilitation (WECARE) Pilot RCT

Sponsor
University Health Network, Toronto
Study ID
NCT07550036
Status
Not Yet Recruiting

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Conditions

  • Behavior, Health
  • Cardiovascular Diseases
  • Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice
  • Heart Diseases

Eligibility Criteria

Sex
FEMALE
Age
18 Years - N/A
Healthy Volunteers
Not accepted

Interventions

  • Cardiac College for Women — BEHAVIORAL
    Cardiac College for Women is a structured, women-focused cardiovascular education program delivered online during participation in cardiac rehabilitation. It consists of 12 sessions (60 minutes each) covering sex- and gender-specific cardiovascular risk factors, healthy lifestyle behaviours, psychosocial well-being, and self-management strategies. Sessions include presentations, videos, and interactive discussions facilitated by trained cardiac rehabilitation staff. Participants also receive tailored educational materials relevant to their cardiac condition and complete a reflection diary to support learning and behaviour change. The program is delivered remotely to improve accessibility and complement usual cardiac rehabilitation care.
  • Usual Cardiac Rehab Education — BEHAVIORAL
    Standard cardiac rehabilitation education delivered as part of routine care. This includes group-based sessions covering cardiovascular risk factors, lifestyle modification, medication management, and secondary prevention. Sessions are typically delivered in mixed-gender groups and are not specifically tailored to women's cardiovascular health needs. Participants also receive supervised exercise and multidisciplinary support as part of comprehensive cardiac rehabilitation.

Study Details

The goal of this pilot clinical trial is to learn if a women-focused education program can improve knowledge, health, and well-being in women with heart disease who are attending cardiac rehabilitation. It will also help researchers understand if this program can be delivered successfully in different rehabilitation programs. The main questions it aims to answer are: * Is it feasible to deliver this women-focused education program within routine cardiac rehabilitation programs? * Do women who receive this program show improvements in heart health knowledge, quality of life, and healthy behaviours? Researchers will compare women who receive the Cardiac College for Women program plus usual cardiac rehabilitation to those who receive usual cardiac rehabilitation alone to see if the program leads to better outcomes. Participants will: * Be randomly assigned to receive either the women-focused education program or usual care * Attend cardiac rehabilitation as part of their regular care * Complete questionnaires at the start and end of the program * (If in the intervention group) attend online education sessions and use supporting materials * (Optional) take part in a group discussion about their experience after completing the program

Key Dates

First listed
Apr 24, 2026
Start date
Sep 1, 2026
Status verified
Apr 2026
Primary completion
Jul 1, 2027
Completion
Sep 1, 2027

Study Design

Enrollment
50 participants (estimated)
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
HEALTH_SERVICES_RESEARCH

Arms

  • Experimental: Cardiac College for Women + Usual Cardiac Rehabilitation
    Participants receive the Cardiac College for Women program in addition to usual cardiac rehabilitation care. The intervention consists of 12 structured, women-focused online education sessions delivered during the cardiac rehabilitation program. Sessions address sex- and gender-specific cardiovascular risk factors, lifestyle behaviours, psychosocial health, and self-management. Participants also receive tailored educational materials and complete a reflection diary. Usual cardiac rehabilitation includes supervised exercise, standard education, and risk factor management.
  • Active Comparator: Usual Cardiac Rehabilitation
    Participants receive usual cardiac rehabilitation care, which includes supervised exercise, cardiovascular risk factor management, and standard group-based education sessions. Educational content covers topics such as lifestyle modification, medication adherence, and secondary prevention but is not specifically tailored to women.

Primary Outcome Measure

Feasibility of delivering a women-focused education program within cardiac rehabilitation [ Time Frame: Baseline to end of cardiac rehabilitation (approximately 12-16 weeks) ]

Central Contacts

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