Assessing the psychological effects of an exercise training programme for patients following myocardial infarction: a pilot study

During a study investigating physiological and other effects of an exercise programme for coronary patients, a questionnaire was administered. Preliminary analysis had suggested some improvement in the patients' morale, but in view of the possible relevance of a number of psychological variables it was decided to carry out further analysis on the available data. The coefficient of discrimination was computed for 32 patients. For 19 patients correlations were computed between scores on subjective fitness, symptoms, anxiety, interest in sex, if at work, age, weight, and workload achieved at a given heart rate. The questionnaire appeared to have satisfactorily high internal and external validity. Patients with a high 'morale' score tended to achieve a greater increase in workload over the course. Although cause and effect cannot be unequivocally assigned, the association is felt to be important, and research is continuing.

Exercise programme after myocardial infarction

Fifty-nine men with known coronary disease entered an exercise rehabilitation programme. Forty-nine had sustained recent myocardial infarctions, nine had had past myocardial infarcts, and one had had a recent internal mammary implant for severe angina. Each class lasted about 45 minutes and they were held twice weekly; the course for each patient was three months. Sixteen patients dropped out from the course, only three for reasons obviously medical. No deaths or cardiac arrests occurred during the programme. Extrasystoles and angina were detected in a minority of patients and did not constitute reasons for failure to complete the course. The main aim of the study was to show that such a programme is feasible in a district general hospital. Improvement in the morale of patients was impressive and the incidence of return to work high.