Does attending a Cardiac Rehabilitation programme reduce the chances of a cardiac related readmission or death for individuals who sustain a Coronary Heart Event?

A recent study carried out in the University Hospitals of Leicester examined the outcomes of patients who attended a Cardiac Rehabilitation programme and compared them with those who chose not to. The patients’ outcomes were monitored one and two years on, dependent on whether they attended Cardiac Rehabilitation or chose not to.

The study was carried out in 2006-2007. 2775 patients were referred to Cardiac Rehabilitation, and of those 34.2% completed a Rehabilitation programme and 47.6% declined.

Of the 34.2% who completed, 1.5% died and 9% were readmitted with a Cardiac problem within one year.

Of the 47.6% who declined, 11% died and 18.5% were readmitted with a Cardiac problem in a year (Bloor 2011).

Cardiac Rehabilitation is a coordinated, multi faceted intervention designed to optimize a patient’s physical, psychological, and social functioning, in addition to stabilizing, slowing or even reversing the progression of the disease, thereby reducing death and readmission (taken from Taylor 2004).

There are many studies carried out on the benefits of Cardiac Rehabilitation, and, although nationally, the programmes may run slightly differently, there is a realm of data which states that Cardiac Rehabilitation is cost effective, improves quality of life and reduces death and readmissions.