Barriers and Facilitators to Cardiovascular Rehabilitation Programmes for People with Lower Limb Amputation: A Survey of Clinical Practice in Canada

This study determines barriers and facilitators to including people with lower limb amputation (LLA) in cardiovascular rehabilitation programmes (CRPs). Canadian CRP managers and exercise therapists were invited to complete a questionnaire. There were 87 respondents. Of the 32 CRP managers, 65.6% reported that people with LLA were eligible for referral but of these, 61.9% only accepted LLA with cardiac disease, and 38.1% only accepted them with ≥ 1 cardiovascular risk factor. CRP eligibility progressively decreased as mobility severity increased, with 94% of programmes accepting those with mild mobility deficits but only 48% accepting those with severe deficits. Among therapists in CRPs that accepted LLAs, 54.3% reported not having an LLA participant within the past three years. Among all responding therapists and managers who were also therapists ( n = 58), 43% lacked confidence in managing safety concerns, and 45%, 16%, and 7% lacked confidence in prescribing aerobic exercise to LLA with severe, moderate, and no mobility deficits respectively. There was a similar finding with prescribing resistance training. LLA-specific education had not been provided to any respondent within the past three years. The top barriers were lack of referrals (52.6%; n = 30) and lack of knowledge of the contraindications to exercise specific for LLA (43.1%; n = 31). Facilitators included the provision of a resistance-training tool kit (63.4%; n = 45), education on exercise safety (63.4%; n = 45), and indications for physician intervention/inspection (63.6%; n = 42). Most of the CRPs surveyed only accept people with LLA if they have co-existing cardiac disease or cardiovascular risk factors. Few people with LLA participate. Education on CRP delivery for LLAs is needed to improve therapists’ confidence and exercise safety.