An evaluation of the effectiveness of cardiac education and rehabilitation on self-efficacy and activity of coronary artery disease patients

Half a million Americans die each year as a result of coronary artery disease (CAD) and millions nore suffer life Long morbidity. Cardiologists and primary care physicians recommend that patients surviving B cardiac event participate in monitored and supervised rehabilitation to learn behaviors necessary to improve their quality of life. This is followed by a self-monitored phase in which compliance with an exercise regimen is critical in reducing chances of recurrence, Studies that may identify factors aiding patients with compliance are of great significance. It has been suggested that self-efficacy, or the confidence one has in his/her ability to perform a task, is a major and critical determinant of performance. Previous studies have shown that self-efficacy increases as a result of participation in cardiac rehabilitation. However, these studies have lacked control groups which would help address whether the perceived increase in self-efficacy was specifically due to rehabilitation. This study evaluates the effectiveness of cardiac patient education atid rehabilitation on self-efficacy and activity of coronary artery disease patients with respect to walking, climbing, and lifting, when compared to a control group. CAD patients (-50) attending cardiac rehabilitation were recruited (participant group). A group of randomly selected CAD patients (N-50) who had been prescribed participation in cardiac patient education and rehabilitation, but who opted not to do so, was selected as the control group. This study revealed that the participant group showed a significant increase in walking, climbing, and lifting self-efficacy and activity (p<.05) during the program relative to the control group. However, there was no significant difference in self-efficacy for the behaviors when the participant and control groups were compared at post- testing. Interestingly, the participant group performed more walking and climbing activities at post-testing when compared to the control group. These results indicate that cardiac patient education and rehabilitation was effective in enhancing patients' performance of activities at post- testing, despite its ineffectiveness in impacting patients' self-efficacy at that time.