Country Heart Attack Prevention Program

Cardiac rehabilitation and secondary prevention have been recognised as a top priority in the field of heart disease. The Country Heart Attack Prevention Project (CHAP) built upon the previous efforts of the SA Cardiac Clinical Network and involved various stakeholder groups. The primary mission of the CHAP project was to provide evidence-based cardiac rehabilitation services to all eligible patients in South Australia. The project aims included:

• Boost completion of cardiac rehabilitation in rural and remote areas.
• Engage clinicians to recommend cardiac rehabilitation.
• Develop an auto-referral system.
• Provide a range of delivery methods including face-to-face, telephone support, apps, websites, and general practice models.
• To improve long term support for heart health.

The project concluded in June 2023 and the full end of project report is now available on the CHAP website. 

Despite high-level evidence supporting the proven benefit of risk factor modification to reduce secondary events through Cardiac Rehabilitation, statistics from Australia and around the world report that only 20%-50% of eligible patients participate. This has not improved in the past 20 years.

The CHAP project has had a significant impact on cardiac rehabilitation and secondary prevention for rural and remote patients. It has enabled access to co-designed models of care, benchmarked clinical outcomes, promoted standardised practices, and supported continuing professional development.