Feasibility and effects of an eHealth intervention to support patients with a low socioeconomic position during their waiting period preceding cardiac rehabilitation 129 6 and control group at the CR facility. Most of these facility interactions occur in the final weeks, coinciding with the period when we evaluated the intervention’s effect. Moreover, the duration of intervention use, approximately two weeks, was relatively brief when contrasted with the average waiting period of eight weeks in the Capri Cardiac Rehabilitation center. These limitations might explain the discrepancy between the quantitative and qualitative findings. For future research, initiating the intervention immediately at hospital discharge would be beneficial, thereby exposing patients during the entire waiting period. The final measurements could be conducted before interactions with healthcare providers at the CR center to minimize their influence on feelings of certainty and guidance. 6.5 Conclusions The developed eHealth intervention was well adhered to and accepted by the target group. Yet, usefulness should be improved, and we did not find effects on feelings of certainty and guidance or dropouts. Despite this, the findings from this feasibility study yield important insights into the design of eHealth interventions tailored to people with a low SEP. Through further optimization, for example through personalization and an extended timeframe for offering the intervention, the intervention holds promise as an effective tool to enhance participation in CR and improve adherence among patients with a low SEP, thereby mitigating health disparities in CR and improving its effectiveness. While researchers should acknowledge the limitations of this feasibility study, including its small sample size and focus on a single center, it represents a first step toward equitable eHealth interventions. Healthcare professionals and intervention developers can leverage these findings to develop and tailor interventions that align with the needs and preferences of individuals with a low SEP, thereby improving their adherence and acceptance.
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