Cardiac Rehabilitation

The cardiac rehabilitation service provides an integrated education and exercise program for clients following a recent (within 6 months) cardiac event including NSTEMI or STEMI, PCI, Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting, Cardiac Valve Surgery or clients who have medically stable Heart Failure.

The program

This program is conducted over 6 weeks and includes the following:

Exercise program – once or twice weekly in a gym setting or via telehealth in the client’s own home
Clients will be assessed for suitability for home based virtual care delivery and only offered this option if clinically appropriate
Education program –varying topics related to health, diet and fitness
Access to multidisciplinary allied health team for identified needs/goals (as per Complex Needs Service)

The service is available at various locations throughout the Metro North Health catchment.

Patient eligibility

patients with acute myocardial infarction (NSTEMI, STEMI & SCAD, including patients with and without post-MI revascularisation eg. Those medically managed with confirmed CAD)
PCI,
Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting,
Cardiac Valve Surgery,
medically managed coronary artery disease eg. Stable angina,
heart transplant
clients who have medically stable Heart Failure & cardiomyopathy conditions

Referral requirements

A referral may be rejected without the following information.

Refer your patient

Referrals are accepted from hospitals, General Practitioners and other Queensland Health community services, please:

use GP referral system for GPs, or
complete a paper referral form if you are an external referrer, including other HHS employees and fax to 3360 4822 or mailto:Central_Referral_Unit@health.qld.gov.au. For further information call Central Referral Unit on 1300 658 252

For all referrals please attach recent investigations and clinical assessments

Exclusion Criteria

Referrals are not accepted for the following as the primary cardiac condition.

pre-habilitation,
atrial fibrillation,
permanent pacemaker,
implantable defibrillator insertion,
hypercholesterolaemia,
those at high risk for coronary artery disease .

Consultation with the client’s GP to develop a cardiovascular Chronic Disease Management Plan is recommended for these.

Out of catchment

Metro North Health is responsible for providing public health services to the people who reside within its boundaries. Special consideration is made for patients requiring tertiary care or services that are not provided by their local Hospital and Health Service. If your patient lives outside the Metro North Health area and you wish to refer them to one of our services, inclusion of information regarding their particular medical and social factors will assist with the triaging of your referral.

Clinical Modifiers (where relevant)

Impact on employment
Impact on education
Impact on home
Impact on activities of daily living
Impact on ability to care for others
Impact on personal frailty or safety
Identifies as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander

Reason for Referral (essential)

To establish a diagnosis
For treatment or intervention
For advice and management
For specialist to take over management
Reassurance for GP/second opinion
For a specified test/investigation the GP can’t order, or the patient can’t afford or access
Reassurance for the patient/family
For other reason (e.g. rapidly accelerating disease progression)
Clinical judgement indicates a referral for specialist review is necessary

Clinical Information (essential)

Presenting symptoms (evolution and duration)
Physical findings
Details of previous treatment (including systemic and topical medications prescribed) including the course and outcome of the treatment
Body mass index (BMI)
Details of any associated medical conditions which may affect the condition or its treatment (e.g. diabetes), noting these must be stable and controlled prior to referral
Current medications and dosages
Drug allergies
Alcohol, tobacco and other drugs use