What is the clinical evidence from this study?

Study design: RCT. Population: Post-myocardial infarction (MI) (n=61). Intervention: Brief group therapy vs. Control group. Primary outcome: Coronary morbidity and mortality, and return to work.

May 1, 1979

Brief Group Therapy in Myocardial Infarction Rehabilitation: Three- to Four-Year Follow-Up of a Controlled Trial*

Key Result

Brief group therapy significantly reduced follow-up coronary morbidity and mortality and increased return to work percentages compared to control in post-myocardial infarction patients.

Study Design

Type

RCT (n=61)

Randomization

Randomly allocated

Structured PICO

Does brief group therapy reduce coronary morbidity and mortality and improve return to work in patients surviving their first myocardial infarction?

Population

61 patients surviving their first myocardial infarction, including 44 in a randomized trial followed for 4 years and 17 in an additional group followed for 3 years.

Intervention

Brief group therapy (including educational information and supportive aspects) as part of a post-MI rehabilitation program

Comparator

Control group status (no group therapy)

Outcome

Coronary morbidity and mortality, and return to work at 3 to 4 years follow-uphard clinical

Brief group therapy in post-MI rehabilitation significantly reduces long-term coronary morbidity and mortality and improves return-to-work rates, likely driven by supportive rather than educational aspects.

Abstract

A trial of brief group therapy as part of a rehabilitation program for postmyocardial infarction (MI) patients was carried out. Forty-four patients surviving their first MI were randomly allocated to either group therapy or control group status and were followed over 4 years. An additional group of 17 patients were referred for post-MI group therapy sessions after the termination of the controlled experiment and were followed for 3 years. Patients who received group therapy had significantly less follow-up coronary morbidity and mortality, and returned to work at significant higher percentages than control patients. Although neither group therapy nor control group patients meaningfully altered conventional coronary risk factors, group therapy patients (in the controlled trial) successfully altered selected coronary-prone behaviors. Educational information regarding the physiological and psychological aspects of coronary heart disease, presented in the group therapy sessions, was forgotten over follow-up. It is concluded that the supportive aspects of the group therapy experience played the most important role in determining the rehabilitation advantages seen for treatment patients.

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