Cardiac Arrest Recovery Enablement and Supported Self-management (CARESS): a study protocol for the feasibility testing of an online psychosocial and exercise rehabilitation programme for cardiac arrest survivors and co-survivors

Aim: Little is known about how best to deliver support for the long-term recovery of cardiac arrest survivors, their family and close friends (co-survivors), or whether providing structured support is feasible. Working collaboratively, we have co-produced two online psychosocial and exercise rehabilitation care pathways for adult survivors and co-survivors - the Cardiac Arrest Recovery Enablement and Supported Self-management (CARESS) intervention. This study assesses the feasibility and acceptability of patient identification, recruitment, intervention delivery and outcomes assessment. Method: co-survivors to develop their knowledge, skills, understanding and establish connections with peers.3.Supervised group exercise rehabilitation sessions (weeks 3-8; up to 45 min): provided weekly, for survivors to build confidence and fitness.Recruitment, retention, and completion of outcome measures will be evaluated. Exploratory outcomes will include health-related quality of life (PROPr 29+2), emotional wellbeing (HADS, WEMWBS), and fatigue (FACIT-f), measured at baseline (week 0) and post-intervention (week 11) to assess suitability for a randomised controlled trial. Interviews to explore participant and facilitator perspectives will inform the process evaluation. Discussion: ISRCTN16382742, prospectively registered 28/01/2025.