Does attendance in cardiac rehabilitation programmes improve risk factor control, lifestyle targets, and psychological outcomes in coronary patients?
Attendance in cardiac rehabilitation programmes is associated with better lifestyle target achievement, lower depression and anxiety, and improved medication adherence, highlighting the need to increase currently low referral and uptake rates.
(65% vs 61%, p=0.0007). However, there were no differences in the blood pressure, lipids and glucose control. Patients who attended a cardiac rehabilitation programme had significantly lower anxiety and depression scores and better medication adherence. Conclusions Only half of all coronary patients were referred and a minority attended a cardiac rehabilitation programme. Those attending were more likely to achieve lifestyle targets, had lower depression and anxiety, and better medication adherence. There is still considerable potential to further reduce cardiovascular risk by increasing uptake and fully integrating secondary prevention and cardiac rehabilitation to provide a modern preventive cardiology programme.
Kotseva et al. (Wed,) studied this question.