Assessing, Prescribing, & Talking About Physical Activity for Patients with CVD

Overview

Exercise and physical activity are known to be among the most powerful treatment strategies for patients living with cardiovascular disease (CVD).

Physiotherapists are among the best-placed healthcare professionals to discuss and prescribe physical activity and exercise.

This online course provides an overview of the new physical activity and exercise guidelines and focuses on practical tools to assess, prescribe, and talk about exercise and physical activity for patients with CVD. We share the results of our BEST study, a research project designed to test the best sub-maximal exercise test against the gold-standard cardiorespiratory exercise test and provide some examples of how to apply the findings in various physiotherapy settings. 

Learning Objectives

Upon completion of this course participants will be able to:

1. Discuss the new physical activity and exercise guidelines with their patients with CVD
2. Understand the "BEST" sub-maximal exercise test to use with their patients with CVD in a clinical setting
3. Apply the results of this outcome measure to prescribe aerobic exercise for their patients with CVD

The Presenters

Jennifer Harris

Jennifer Harris is a Registered Physiotherapist and Certified Clinical Exercise Physiologist working at the University of Ottawa Heart Institute as the Regional Manager of CVD Prevention and Rehabilitation Outreach. She has worked in the cardiac and pulmonary rehab field since 1995. She directs the Heart Wise Exercise Program, an exercise model that trains fitness professionals across the country. With a passion for knowledge translation, Jennifer has been an active research collaborator and co-investigator providing clinical expertise, particularly around cardiac rehab and exercise prescription, and subsequently sharing that research to help make practice change. She has been awarded the Canadian Cardiac Rehabilitation Association's Annual Leadership Award for both Clinical Practice in 2011, and Knowledge Translation, in 2016. She is also an active member of the OPA, sitting on the Hospital Advisory Committee as well as the Governance Committee. 

Carley O'Neill

Carley O'Neill is a Strategic Endowed Post-Doctoral Fellow in the Exercise Physiology and Cardiovascular Health lab at the University of Ottawa Heart Institute in the Division of Cardiac Prevention and Rehabilitation and a Certified Exercise Physiologist through the Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology. Her research focus is on the impact of exercise on managing chronic conditions, with a focus on women's heart health.