Women and cardiac rehabilitation: A review of the literature

There is a wide variety of literature available about coronary heart disease (CHD). However much of the research related to CHD has been performed using either exclusively male populations or such small numbers of women that the results from the women studied were unable to be analysed independently. It is apparent that more researchers are focusing on research that examines women's responses to CHD and the care and treatment they receive. The following literature review explores some of the issues related to women's experience of cardiac rehabilitation and demonstrates that women's experience of cardiac rehabilitation may be different to that of men. There is a need for nurses working within this area of practice to have an understanding of women's experience of recovery from a heart attack in order to better meet their needs.