NICE recommends six digital technologies to support cardiac rehab
- 19 August 2025
- NICE has conditionally recommended six digital platforms to support cardiac rehabilitation for use in the NHS
- Each technology delivers exercise programmes, education related to cardiovascular disease and its treatment, dietary advice, medication management and psychological support
- The platforms can be used during a three-year evidence generation period while more data is collected
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has conditionally recommended six digital platforms for use in the NHS, which will enable people with heart disease to complete their recovery sessions at home.
Draft guidance published on 19 August 2025 recommends digital technologies to support cardiac rehabilitation for adults with cardiovascular disease, which can be used during a three-year evidence generation period while more data is collected about their long-term effectiveness.
The platforms recommended are: Activate Your Heart, D REACH-HF, Digital Heart Manual, Gro Health HeartBuddy, KiActiv, and myHEART.
Dr Anastasia Chalkidou, HealthTech programme director at NICE, said: “These digital platforms offer real potential to transform how cardiac rehabilitation is offered to people to meet their individual circumstances.
“We know that traditional programmes aren’t reaching everyone who could benefit – particularly women, younger patients and people from ethnic minority backgrounds.
“The early data is promising and suggests, with safeguards in place, more people should now be given the opportunity to use these new technologies.
“This three-year evidence collection period will give us the additional robust data we need to determine whether these innovations should be recommended as a permanent part of cardiac care.”
Each technology delivers exercise programmes, education related to cardiovascular disease and its treatment, dietary advice, medication management and psychological support.
Some of the platforms also incorporate wearable devices to monitor activity levels.
NICE’s independent advisory committee has emphasised that not everyone will be suitable for digital cardiac rehabilitation and a trained NHS healthcare professional must conduct a full clinical assessment before offering the technologies to ensure they are appropriate for the individual.
The guidance also suggests that additional support may be needed for older people, those with disabilities, people experiencing homelessness, or those who do not have English as a first language.
Seven other digital technologies – Beat Better, Datos Health, Get Ready, Luscii vitals, Pumping Marvellous Cardiac Rehab Platform, R Plus Health, and Sword Move – require more research before they can be funded by the NHS and should only be used in research settings, NICE said.
Following the three-year evidence generation period, NICE will review all available data to determine whether the technologies should be routinely adopted across the NHS.
A consultation on the draft recommendations has opened and comments can be submitted via the NICE website until 3 September 2025.
In July 2025, NICE conditionally recommended four AI technologies that could help healthcare professionals spot spinal fractures in patients undergoing routine CT scans.
NICE’s independent Diagnostics Advisory Committee conditionally recommended that BriefCase-Triage, CINA-VCF Quantix, HealthVCF and IB Lab FLAMINGO can be used in the NHS while further evidence is generated.
