Recommendations issued in 2005 by the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC), Strengthening Cardiac Rehabilitation and Secondary Prevention for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples: A Guide for Health Professionals, have been poorly implemented in Western Australia (WA) within mainstream health services. Semi-structured interviews held between November 2007 and June 2008 with 24 health professionals involved in the WA Directory of cardiac rehabilitation (CR) services sought to describe health professionals’ awareness, implementation, and perspectives of barriers to implementing these recommendations. Most respondents reported unfamiliarity with the NHMRC guidelines; thus, there was minimal implementation of the recommendations and inconsistent application. Respondents provided few in-patient CR-related services to Indigenous patients, services upon discharge were erratic, and few Indigenous-specific resources were provided for patients. Issues relating to workforce, cultural competence, and service linkages emerged as having most impact on design and delivery of CR services for Indigenous people in WA.
