About

GLOBAL-DATA-MATCH is an international, world-leading collaboration between Radboudumc, University of Glasgow and Liverpool John Moores University, aiming to provide definitive estimates on the effect of exercise-based cardiac rehabilitation in people with cardiovascular disease.

Secondary prevention strategies through the application of exercise-based cardiac rehabilitation (ExCR) are recognized by international guidelines as an integral component of contemporary management of various cardiovascular diseases, including coronary heart disease (CHD), heart failure (HF) and atrial fibrillation (AF). To provide definitive estimates of the effect of ExCR and inform future guidelines on ExCR prescription, GLOBAL-DATA-MATCH aims to bring together individual participant data from randomized controlled trials on the effectiveness of ExCR versus usual care.

GLOBAL-DATA-MATCH includes a collection of “living” individual participant data meta-analyses, and brings together individual participant data from randomized trials on the effectiveness of ExCR in CHD (CaReMATCH), AF (AFterMATCH) and HF (ExTrMATCH).

As of March 2025, 27 trials, including approximately 9,000 participants, have been included in our analyses. GLOBAL-DATA-MATCH is constantly updated with information from "living" Cochrane reviews on ExCR in CHD, AF, and HF, which are co-led by the principal investigators of GLOBAL-DATA-MATCH. Publications of GLOBAL-DATA-MATCH have been published in leading journals, including the European Heart Journal of Heart Failure, BMJ, and JACC. We also collaborate with patient and public involvement groups across the globe (Harteraad, the Netherlands; REACH-HF patient-participation group, Arrythmia Alliance, UK; StopAfib, US).

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Research GLOBAL-DATA-MATCH

About

GLOBAL-DATA-MATCH is an international, world-leading collaboration between Radboudumc, University of Glasgow and Liverpool John Moores University, aiming to provide definitive estimates on the effect of exercise-based cardiac rehabilitation in people with cardiovascular disease.

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Contact

prof. dr. Dick Thijssen

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Goals

See some of our main goals.

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Goals

By combining individual participant data from randomized trials, we seek to:

  • Provide definitive estimates on the effect of exercise-based cardiac rehabilitation in people with cardiovascular disease, including CHD, AF and HF.
  • Examine potential differential effects of ExCR across subgroups.
  • Understand the mechanisms through which clinical benefits of ExCR can be obtained.


Participation

We invite principal investigators of randomized controlled trials on ExCR to share their individual participant data and participate in GLOBAL-DATA-MATCH. Data security and transparency are key priorities, and participation follows clear guidelines and ethical standards. If you’re interested in learning more, we welcome you to get in touch (see "Contact").

Grant providers

Team

See our members.

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Team

GLOBAL-DATA-MATCH is led by:

Other team members are: