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Background Cardiac rehabilitation (CR) is a structured, multidisciplinary programme that improves clinical and economic outcomes in cardiovascular disease. In the UK, these benefits are limited by poor access, uptake, and completion. Traditional in-person CR is workforce-intensive and difficult to scale amid staffing and funding constraints. Digital cardiac rehabilitation (DCR), using remote delivery through online platforms, offers a scalable alternative. While DCR may enhance access and adherence, its impact on workforce burden – a key factor in implementation success – remains unclear.Aim To evaluate DCR’s impact on workforce burden.Methods A prospective, mixed-methods, observational cohort study was conducted over nine weeks in an NHS CR department. Staff were observed at five prespecified time points before and after DCR implementation. The primary outcome was total mean task time (TMTT) per patient. Secondary outcomes included staff sentiment (questionnaire) and system usability (System Usability Scale, SUS).Results A total of 264 observations were recorded ( figure 1). TMTT rose from 260.0 minutes at baseline to 318.5 minutes two weeks post-implementation, then declined to 218.0 minutes by study end – a 16.0% reduction (p < 0.0001). A significant downward trend followed implementation (β = –35.6 mins/period, R² = 0.90, p = 0.0494), with reductions across roles and tasks. Pre-implementation sentiment showed dissatisfaction with documentation. SUS scores dropped initially but returned to near baseline by study end.Abstract P17 Figure 1Total mean task time per patient across all tasks and staff. Total mean task time (TMTT) is plotted across five time periods. Points represent period-level means. The shaded ribbon (periods 1–4) and error bar (Period 0) indicate ±1 standard deviation from pooled variance. A horizontal dashed line marks the baseline mean. A linear regression line with 95% confidence interval is overlaid for Periods 1–4. Key statistics are displayed in the annotation box. Δ indicates the absolute and percentage change from Period 0 to another period. β represents the slope of the linear regression. R² is the coefficient of determination. p denotes the two-sided p-value.TMTT Total Mean Task Time ; SD: Standard Deviation; DCR: Digital Cardiac Rehabilitation.Conclusion The TMTT reduction reflects a decrease in workforce burden following DCR implementation. While a temporary increase occurred post-implementation, this reversed with staff adaptation. Usability score recovery suggests familiarity improved perceptions, underscoring the importance of sustained training during digital transitions. This study provides the first quantitative evidence that DCR can reduce staff task time per patient after initial adjustment. These findings support DCR’s potential to ease workforce burden and improve CR scalability. Future work should assess long-term outcomes and economic impact.