Examining Motivations and Barriers for Attending Maintenance Community-Based Cardiac Rehabilitation Using the Health-Belief Model

An Intervention Program Using the Health Belief Model to Modify Lifestyle in Coronary Heart Disease: Randomized Controlled Trial

BACKGROUND

Most effective interventions to control coronary heart disease (CHD) and prevent negative outcomes involve behavioral modification. This study examined how such modification based on the Health Belief Model (HBM) might improve lifestyle and clinical outcomes.

METHODS

A total of 120 people with CHD seeking help at a general hospital in Iran were randomly assigned to either the intervention or control group. Information was collected using an HBM-specific questionnaire and the Health Promoting Lifestyle II (HPLP-II) scale. Clinical outcomes (blood pressure, body mass index, and fasting blood sugar) were also measured. The intervention group received a tailored education based on HBM principles plus routine care, while those in the control group received only routine care. Three months after the intervention, both groups were reassessed using Student's t test and analysis of covariance.

RESULTS

All HBM subscale scores indicated significant improvements in the intervention group, in contrast to the control group, where scores worsened or stayed the same. Perceived severity and susceptibility were the dimensions that changed most. Total score on the HPLP-II improved significantly in the intervention group (p < 0.001, F = 747.5); however, subscale scores on spiritual growth and interpersonal relationships did not demonstrate significant between-group differences at follow-up. After adjustment for baseline scores, significant improvements in lifestyle subscales were also accompanied by significant improvements in clinical measures.

CONCLUSIONS

This HBM-based behavior modification program improved both lifestyle and clinical measures in patients with CHD. Utilizing this program in patients with other cardiovascular diseases may in the future demonstrate similar results.

'The illness isn't the end of the road'-Patient perspectives on the initiation of and early participation in a multi-disease, community-based exercise programme

BACKGROUND

Exercise is the cornerstone of cardiac rehabilitation (CR). Hospital-based CR exercise programmes are a routine part of clinical care and are typically 6-12 weeks in duration. Following completion, physical activity levels of patients decline. Multi-disease, community-based exercise programmes (MCEP) are an efficient model that could play an important role in the long-term maintenance of positive health behaviours in individuals with cardiovascular disease (CVD) following their medically supervised programme.

AIM

To explore patients experiences of the initiation and early participation in a MCEP programme and the dimensions that facilitate and hinder physical activity engagement.

METHODS

Individuals with established CVD who had completed hospital-based CR were referred to a MCEP. The programme consisted of twice weekly group exercise classes supervised by clinical exercise professionals. Those that completed (n = 31) an initial 10 weeks of the programme were invited to attend a focus group to discuss their experience. Focus groups were transcribed and analysed using reflexive thematic analysis.

RESULTS

Twenty-four (63% male, 65.5±6.12yrs) patients attended one of four focus groups. The main themes identified were 'Moving from fear to confidence', 'Drivers of engagement,' and 'Challenges to keeping it (exercise) up'.

CONCLUSION

Participation in a MCEP by individuals with CVD could be viewed as a double-edged sword. Whilst the programme clearly provided an important transition from the clinical to the community setting, there were signs it may breed dependency and not effectively promote independent exercise. Another novel finding was the use of social comparison that provided favourable valuations of performance and increased exercise confidence.

Engineering Virtuous health habits using Emotion and Neurocognition: Flexibility for Lifestyle Optimization and Weight management (EVEN FLOW)

Interventions to preserve functional independence in older adults are critically needed to optimize 'successful aging' among the large and increasing population of older adults in the United States. For most aging adults, the management of chronic diseases is the most common and impactful risk factor for loss of functional independence. Chronic disease management inherently involves the learning and adaptation of new behaviors, such as adopting or modifying physical activity habits and managing weight. Despite the importance of chronic disease management in older adults, vanishingly few individuals optimally manage their health behavior in the service of chronic disease stabilization to preserve functional independence. Contemporary conceptual models of chronic disease management and health habit theory suggest that this lack of optimal management may result from an underappreciated distinction within the health behavior literature: the behavioral domains critical for initiation of new behaviors (Initiation Phase) are largely distinct from those that facilitate their maintenance (Maintenance Phase). Psychological factors, particularly experiential acceptance and trait levels of openness are critical to engagement with new health behaviors, willingness to make difficult lifestyle changes, and the ability to tolerate aversive affective responses in the process. Cognitive factors, particularly executive function, are critical to learning new skills, using them effectively across different areas of life and contextual demands, and updating of skills to facilitate behavioral maintenance. Emerging data therefore suggests that individuals with greater executive function are better able to sustain behavior changes, which in turn protects against cognitive decline. In addition, social and structural supports of behavior change serve a critical buffering role across phases of behavior change. The present review attempts to address these gaps by proposing a novel biobehavioral intervention framework that incorporates both individual-level and social support system-level variables for the purpose of treatment tailoring. Our intervention framework triangulates on the central importance of self-regulatory functioning, proposing that both cognitive and psychological mechanisms ultimately influence an individuals' ability to engage in different aspects of self-management (individual level) in the service of maintaining independence. Importantly, the proposed linkages of cognitive and affective functioning align with emerging individual difference frameworks, suggesting that lower levels of cognitive and/or psychological flexibility represent an intermediate phenotype of risk. Individuals exhibiting self-regulatory lapses either due to the inability to regulate their emotional responses or due to the presence of executive functioning impairments are therefore the most likely to require assistance to preserve functional independence. In addition, these vulnerabilities will be more easily observable for individuals requiring greater complexity of self-management behavioral demands (e.g. complexity of medication regimen) and/or with lesser social support. Our proposed framework also intuits several distinct intervention pathways based on the profile of self-regulatory behaviors: we propose that individuals with intact affect regulation and impaired executive function will preferentially respond to 'top-down' training approaches (e.g., strategy and process work). Individuals with intact executive function and impaired affect regulation will respond to 'bottom-up' approaches (e.g., graded exposure). And individuals with impairments in both may require treatments targeting caregiving or structural supports, particularly in the context of elevated behavioral demands.

A Theory-Based, Technology-Assisted Intervention in a Hybrid Cardiac Rehabilitation Program for Patients with Coronary Heart Disease: A Feasibility Study

PURPOSE

To assess the feasibility of a technology-assisted intervention in a hybrid cardiac rehabilitation program among patients with coronary heart disease.

METHODS

This study was a two-arm parallel randomized controlled trial. Twenty-eight patients with coronary heart disease were randomly assigned to either the intervention group, receiving a 12-week technology-assisted intervention (n = 14), or the control group (n = 14), receiving usual care. Guided by the Health Belief Model, the intervention group received three center-based, supervised exercise training sessions, a fitness watch that served as a cue to action, six educational videos, and a weekly video call. The Self-efficacy for Exercise, exercise capacity, and Health Promoting Lifestyle Profile II were assessed at baseline and immediately post-intervention (12-weeks).

RESULTS

Among the 28 patients who participated in this study, 85.7% completed the program, with a relatively low attrition rate (14.3%). The number of exercise training sessions accomplished by the participants in the intervention group was 51.27 ± 19.41 out of 60 sessions (85.5%) compared to 36.46 ± 23.05 (60.8%) in the control group. No cardiac adverse events or hospitalizations were reported throughout the study. Participants in the intervention group showed greater improvement in health-promoting behaviors when compared with the control group at 12 weeks. Within-group effects demonstrated improvement in exercise self-efficacy and exercise capacity among participants in the intervention group. A participant satisfaction survey conducted immediately post-intervention revealed that participants were "very satisfied" (23.1%) and "satisfied" (76.9%) with the technology-assisted intervention.

CONCLUSIONS

The findings demonstrated that technology-assisted intervention in a hybrid cardiac rehabilitation program was feasible and suggested to be beneficial in improving exercise self-efficacy, exercise capacity, and health promoting behavior among patients with coronary heart disease. A full-scale study is needed to determine its effectiveness in the long term.

TRIAL AND PROTOCOL REGISTRATION

ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04862351. https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04862351.

Global perspectives on heart disease rehabilitation and secondary prevention: a scientific statement from the Association of Cardiovascular Nursing and Allied Professions, European Association of Preventive Cardiology, and International Council of Cardiovascular Prevention and Rehabilitation

Cardiovascular disease is a leading cause of death, morbidity, disability, and reduced health-related quality of life, as well as economic burden worldwide, with some 80% of disease burden occurring in the low- and middle-income country (LMIC) settings. With increasing numbers of people living longer with symptomatic disease, the effectiveness and accessibility of secondary preventative and rehabilitative health services have never been more important. Whilst LMICs experience the highest prevalence and mortality rates, the global approach to secondary prevention and cardiac rehabilitation, which mitigates this burden, has traditionally been driven from clinical guidelines emanating from high-income settings. This state-of-the art review provides a contemporary global perspective on cardiac rehabilitation and secondary prevention, contrasting the challenges of and opportunities for high vs. lower income settings. Actionable solutions to overcome system, clinician, programme, and patient level barriers to cardiac rehabilitation access in LMICs are provided.

Social Isolation and Social Support Influence Health Service Utilisation and Survival after a Cardiovascular Disease Event: A Systematic Review

Both cardiovascular disease (CVD) and social health carry high health and economic burdens. We undertook a systematic review to investigate the association between social isolation, low social support, and loneliness with health service utilisation and survival after a CVD event among people living in Australia and New Zealand. Four electronic databases were systematically searched for the period before June 2020. Two reviewers undertook the title/abstract screen. One reviewer undertook a full-text screen and data extraction. A second author checked data extraction. Of 756 records, 25 papers met our inclusion criteria. Included studies recruited 10-12,821 participants, aged 18-98 years, and the majority were males. Greater social support was consistently associated with better outcomes on four of the five themes (discharge destination, outpatient rehabilitation attendance, rehospitalisation and survival outcomes; no papers assessed the length of inpatient stay). Positive social health was consistently associated with better discharge designation to higher independent living. As partner status and living status did not align with social isolation and social support findings in this review, we recommend they not be used as social health proxies. Our systematic review demonstrates that social health is considered in cardiac care decisions and plays a role in how healthcare is being delivered (i.e., outpatient, rehabilitation, or nursing home). This likely contributes to our finding that lower social support is associated with high-intensity healthcare services, lower outpatient rehabilitation attendance, greater rehospitalisation and poorer survival. Given our evidence, the first step to improve cardiac outcomes is acknowledging that social health is part of the decision-making process. Incorporating a formal assessment of social support into healthcare management plans will likely improve cardiac outcomes and survival. Further research is required to assess if support person/s need to engage in the risk reduction behaviours themselves for outpatient rehabilitation to be effective. Further synthesis of the impact of social isolation and loneliness on health service utilisation and survival after a CVD event is required.

Remote maintenance cardiac rehabilitation (MAINTAIN): A protocol for a randomised feasibility study

Background

Long-term adherence to exercise is often poor for people with coronary heart disease (CHD) who have completed supervised, centre-based cardiac rehabilitation. The aim of this study is to assess the feasibility of a remotely prescribed, delivered and monitored cardiac rehabilitation intervention using a wearable device to support long-term adherence to exercise and physical activity during maintenance of cardiac rehabilitation.

Methods

After completing cardiac rehabilitation, 30 participants with CHD, will be randomised (1:1) to an intervention (n = 15) or a usual care group (n = 15) in a 12-month feasibility randomised controlled trial (RCT). The intervention will comprise of an exercise consultation, personalised exercise prescription delivered via a wearable activity monitor using biometric feedback, regular monitoring via check-ins, and feedback text-messages for 6-months. Participants will be assessed at baseline (following completion of cardiac rehabilitation) and at three-, six-, and 12-months post-randomisation. The primary outcome will be feasibility, including assessment of eligibility, recruitment, adherence, and acceptability. Secondary outcomes will include exercise capacity, physical activity behaviours, cardiovascular disease risk and quality of life. Semi-structured interviews will be conducted at three-, six-, and 12-months post-randomisation (and with those who drop-out) to explore the acceptability of the study intervention and procedures. A questionnaire will be offered to those who decline participation.

Discussion

The MAINTAIN study will evaluate the feasibility of conducting a future definitive multi-centre RCT testing a remotely prescribed and monitored long-term mHealth maintenance exercise programme, versus usual care, for people with CHD who have completed cardiac rehabilitation.

Trial registration number

ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT05292287. Registered on 22/03/2022.

Digital home-based multidisciplinary cardiac rehabilitation: How to counteract physical inactivity during the COVID-19 pandemic

Introduction and Objectives

Center-based cardiac rehabilitation (CR) programs have been forced to close due to COVID-19. Alternative delivery models to maintain access to CR programs and to avoid physical inactivity should be considered. The aim of this study was to assess physical activity (PA) levels after completing a home-based digital CR program.

Methods

A total of 116 cardiovascular disease (CVD) patients (62.6±8.9 years, 95 male) who had been attending a face-to-face CR program were recruited and assessed (baseline and at three months) on the following parameters: PA, sedentary behavior, adherence, cardiovascular and non-cardiovascular symptoms, feelings toward the pandemic, dietary habits, risk factor control, safety and adverse events. The intervention consisted of a multidisciplinary digital CR program, including regular patient assessment, and exercise, educational and psychological group sessions.

Results

Ninety-eight CVD patients successfully completed all the online assessments (15.5% drop-out rate). A favorable main effect of time was an increase in moderate to vigorous PA and a decrease in sedentary time at three months. Almost half of the participants completed at least one online exercise training session per week and attended at least one of the online educational sessions. No major adverse events were reported and only one minor event occurred.

Conclusion

During the pandemic, levels of moderate to vigorous PA improved after three months of home-based CR in CVD patients with previous experience in a face-to-face CR model. Diversified CR programs with a greater variety of content tailored to individual preferences are needed to meet the motivational and clinical requirements of CVD patients.

Identification of Immunosuppressive Medication Nonadherence Factors Through a Combined Theory Model in Renal Transplant Recipients: 6-12

Background: Immunosuppressive medication (IM) nonadherence is associated with poor transplant outcomes. Therefore, it is of great importance to identify predictive factors with IM nonadherence. We aimed to improve the predicted capacity of the theory of planned behavior (TPB) by adding health belief model's (HBM) variables in renal transplant patients (RTPs). Methods: This cross-sectional study distributed questionnaires to patients who had undergone renal transplant and follow-up regularly in the transplant center of Third Xiangya Hospital in China. The self-developed questionnaire collected data in three aspects: general data questionnaire, TPB, HBM-specific questionnaire, and Basel Assessment of Adherence to Immunosuppressive Medications scale. Results: A total of 1,357 of 1,480 patients completed the survey, with a participation rate of 91.69% and IM nonadherence rate of 33.53%. The marital status, household income, preoperative drinking history, the time after transplantation, and religion showed independent predictive factors with IM nonadherence (p < 0.05). Strikingly, adding HBM variables to the TPB theory model significantly increased its prediction ability to IM nonadherence (52%). Also, HBM manifested the highest coefficient of effect (-0.620). Particularly, perceived barriers and perceived seriousness, the variables of the HBM model, played a vital influence on medication nonadherence (-0.284 and 0.256). Conclusion: Our study here reveals the first investigation of the combined effects of the TPB and HBM model on IM nonadherence in Chinese RTPs, which could significantly improve the predictive ability of any single model. Meanwhile, future interventions should be conducted to both increase perceived seriousness and reduce perceived barriers for taking IM, which will effectively decrease IM nonadherence rates and improve transplant outcomes.

Development and validation of dust exposure prevention questionnaire for cardiovascular patients based on the health belief model

BACKGROUND

Many cardiovascular patients suffer from respiratory failure. Environmental conditions can exacerbate symptomatology. It is necessary to prevent exposure to dust by taking educational steps to identify and modify patient behavior. This study aimed to develop and validate a dust exposure behavior questionnaire based on the Health Belief Model.

METHODS

A mixture of qualitative and quantitative methods was employed to design and develop the desired tool. Qualitative methods were used to identify the preventive behaviors needed by cardiovascular patients at risk of dust exposure using the opinions of two expert panels and a literature review. The quantitative phase of the research was performed to evaluate the psychometric properties of the research tool. The research population comprised 417 people with cardiovascular disease referred to a heart hospital in Bushehr, Iran in 2018. Consenting participants entered the study through consecutive sampling.

RESULTS

The final version of the questionnaire included 27 items across six domains, namely perceived susceptibility, perceived barriers, perceived severity, perceived benefits, cues to action, and self-efficacy. The mean values of the content validity ratio and content validity index were 0.93 and 0.9, respectively. In addition, all items had a good correlation with the total score of their parent domain (P < 0.01). The model fit was initially unsuitable, according to the related indices. Hence, to achieve a better model fit, the model was improved by releasing some parameters based on the modifications suggested by the AMOS software. The modified model featured an acceptable fit (χ2/df = 2.2, P < 0.001). Cronbach's alpha coefficients also confirmed appropriate reliability for all six domains.

CONCLUSION

The Dust Exposure Prevention questionnaire has desirable psychometric properties and appropriate validity to determine the behavioral factors involved in harm from dust exposure among cardiovascular disease patients. This marks an effective step toward evaluating the factors effective in preventing complications related to dust exposure among such patients.

Symptom experience as a predictor of cardiac rehabilitation education programme attendance after percutaneous coronary intervention: A prospective questionnaire survey

BACKGROUND

Despite evidence that participation in cardiac rehabilitation programmes after percutaneous coronary intervention is associated with better clinical outcomes, many patients with coronary artery disease do not participate in such programmes. A traditional educational approach is recommended to provide patients with information regarding the benefits of cardiac rehabilitation in relation to their underlying coronary artery disease and modification of risk factors.

AIMS

The purpose of this study was to examine the role of patient factors (symptom experience and health belief) on cardiac rehabilitation education programme attendance among Korean patients subjected to percutaneous coronary intervention.

METHODS

A prospective survey was conducted enrolling 173 patients who underwent percutaneous coronary intervention. Information on symptom experience, health belief (perceived susceptibility/severity/benefits/ barriers) and sociodemographic and clinical characteristics was collected at baseline (after percutaneous coronary intervention). Three to four weeks later, information on disease-related knowledge and health behaviour was compared between cardiac rehabilitation education programme attendees and non-attendees.

RESULTS

Eighty of 173 (46.2%) patients surveyed attended the cardiac rehabilitation education programme. Symptom experience before percutaneous coronary intervention was the most significant predictor of programme attendance (odds ratio=3.46; 95% confidence interval 1.45-8.27), followed by higher perceived socioeconomic status (odds ratio=2.90; 95% confidence interval 1.28-6.58), perceived susceptibility (odds ratio=1.22, 95% confidence interval 1.08-1.39), perceived benefits (odds ratio=1.09; 95% confidence interval 1.02-1.17) and perceived severity (odds ratio=1.04; 95% confidence interval 1.00-1.08). Better disease-related knowledge and health behaviour were significantly associated with cardiac rehabilitation education programme attendance.

CONCLUSION

This study provides evidence that educational programmes to help improve patients' perceptions of their disease susceptibility and severity, especially health behaviour benefits in patients without symptom experience before percutaneous coronary intervention, are necessary.

Cross-cultural adaptation and psychometric validation of the Persian version of the Cardiac Rehabilitation Barriers Scale (CRBS-P)

OBJECTIVES

This study aimed to translate, cross-culturally adapt and psychometrically validate a Persian version of the Cardiac Rehabilitation Barriers Scale (CRBS-P) and to identify the main barriers in an Iranian setting.

SETTING

Afshar cardiac rehabilitation (CR) centre, affiliated with the Yazd University of Medical Sciences, in the centre of Iran.

DESIGN

This was a multimethod study, culminating in a cross-sectional survey.

PARTICIPANTS

Inpatient CR graduates who did not attend their initial outpatient CR appointment.

METHOD

The 21-item CRBS was translated and cross-culturally adapted in accordance with best practices; an expert panel considered the items and previous non-attending patients were interviewed via phone to refine the scale. Next, structural validity was assessed; participants were invited to complete the CRBS on the phone between March 2017 and February 2018. Using exploratory factor analysis (EFA) with principal component analysis extraction and oblique rotation. Second, confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was used to verify the results; several goodness-of-fit indices were considered. The internal consistency and 3-week test-retest reliability of the scale (5% subsample) were evaluated using Cronbach's α and intraclass correlation (ICC), respectively.

RESULTS

Face, content and cross-cultural validity were established by the experts and patients (n=50). One thousand and one hundred (40.7%) of the 2700 patients completed the CRBS-P. Structural validity was established by EFA (Bartlett's test p<0.001; =0.759) and confirmed by the CFA; a four-factor solution with 18 items accounting for 61.256% of variance had the best fit (χ²/df=3.206, root mean square error of approximation=0.061 and Comparative Fit Index=0.959). The internal consistency and test-retest reliability (n=42) of the scale were acceptable (ICC=0.743 95% CI (0.502 to 0.868); overall α=0.797). The top barriers were not knowing about CR, cost and lack of encouragement from physicians.

CONCLUSION

The four-factor, 18-item CRBS-P had good psychometric properties, and hence can be reliably and validly used to measure CR barriers in Iran and other Persian-speaking populations.

Barriers to participation in center-based cardiac rehabilitation programs and patients' attitude toward home-based cardiac rehabilitation programs

Purpose: The mortality rate of cardiovascular diseases in such developing countries as Iran is on the rise. Despite sufficient evidence pointing to its efficacy, cardiac rehabilitation (CR) approach is only employed to a limited extent. In the present study, barriers to participation in center-based cardiac rehabilitation programs and patients' attitude toward home-based cardiac rehabilitation model were examined. Methods: In this study, 204 eligible patients for CR visiting an academic hospital were examined during the first three months of 2017. Patients had either abandoned rehabilitation programs midway through or had not attended one in the first place. Data about perceived barriers were collected using the modified Cardiac Rehabilitation Barriers Scale. Also, Patients' attitude toward home-based CR was collected using a pre-validated researcher-made questionnaire. Results: The results revealed that the most effective barriers were transportation problems (70%), travel costs (70%), considerable distance to the rehabilitation center (67%), and lack of insurance coverage for rehabilitation costs (64%), respectively. Patients with longer than 30-minute drive time were less likely to attend in training sessions in the center. In addition, the important patient expectations about home-based CR programs included: communication with specialists, training before entering the rehabilitation program, and making periodic visits to maintain motivation and adhere to the home-based CR programs. Conclusions: The results revealed that logistical factors were the major barriers to participation in rehabilitation programs. Alternative models such as home-based CR programs, positively evaluated by the participants, can be used to overcome these barriers.

Beliefs of Immunosuppressive Medication Among Chinese Renal Transplant Recipients, as Assessed in a Cross-Sectional Study With the Basel Assessment of Adherence to Immunosuppressive Medications Scale

BACKGROUND

Adherence to immunosuppressive medication (IM) after renal transplantation is crucial to survival of patient and graft outcomes; whether beliefs about IM adherence and other sociodemographic factors affect IM adherence is debatable.

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to examine the beliefs on IM and IM adherence in Chinese renal transplant recipients.

METHODS

Across-sectional survey was conducted. Self-developed IM beliefs questionnaire guided by health belief model was used to measure IM beliefs. The Basel Assessment of Adherence to Immunosuppressive Medications Scale was used to assess drug adherence.

RESULTS

The nonadherence rate to IM in 208 renal transplant recipients during outpatient follow-up was 44.2%. There were statistically significant associations between adherence and the marital status (P < .001). Perceived seriousness of not taking IM (P < .001) and perceived barriers of taking IM (P < .001) were significantly associated with IM adherence. After controlling other factors, married marital status, high levels of perceived seriousness of not taking IM, and lower levels of perceived barriers of taking IM (P = .007) were significantly associated with IM adherence.

CONCLUSION

Marital status and IM beliefs are closely association with IM adherence in Chinese renal transplant recipients.

Auswirkung motivierender Gesprächsführung auf die Krankheitswahrnehmung bei stabiler koronarer Herzkrankheit. Eine randomisiert-kontrollierte Studie

Zusammenfassung.Hintergrund: Koronare Herzkrankheit ist eine der häufigsten Todesursachen für Menschen > 60 Jahre. Vom Lebensstil abhängige Risikofaktoren sind wesentlich beteiligt. Kardiale Rehabilitation ist daher essenziell für eine optimale Behandlung. Leider verstehen die Betroffenen ihre Krankheit kaum. Motivierende Gesprächsführung kann die Krankheitswahrnehmung verbessern. Ziel / Methode: In einer randomisiert-kontrollierten Studie wurde die Wirksamkeit einer Intervention mit motivierender Gesprächsführung auf die Krankheitswahrnehmung untersucht. Personen mit stabiler koronarer Herzkrankheit wurden konsekutiv nach perkutaner transluminaler Koronarangioplastie (PTCA) in die Studie aufgenommen. Die Interventionsgruppe erhielt ein kurzes motivierendes Gespräch zur Erkrankung und den Risikofaktoren als Intervention. Die Kontrollgruppe erhielt die Standardbetreuung. Vor der Intervention und sechs Monate später wurden Daten zur Krankheitswahrnehmung (Illness Perception Questionnaire-Revised) erhoben. Ergebnisse: Total wurden 312 Personen (n = 148 Intervention, n = 164 Kontrollgruppe) in die Studie aufgenommen (Durchschnittsalter: 66,2 Jahre). Nach der Intervention zeigte sich eine signifikante Veränderung im Bereich der emotionalen Reaktionen auf die Erkrankung. Schlussfolgerung: Um die Krankheitswahrnehmung bei Personen mit stabiler koronarer Herzkrankheit zu verbessern, ist eine kurze Intervention mit motivierender Gesprächsführung möglicherweise wirksam. Ob eine Intensivierung der Intervention das Resultat weiter verbessert, muss noch untersucht werden.

Gender differences in the factors predicting initial engagement at cardiac rehabilitation

Objective

To determine whether there are gender differences in the factors that predict attendance at the initial cardiac rehabilitation baseline assessment (CR engagement) after referral.

Methods

Using data from the National Audit of Cardiac Rehabilitation, we analysed data on 95 638 patients referred to CR following a cardiovascular diagnosis/treatment between 2013 and 2016. Eighteen factors that have been shown in previous research to be important predictors of CR participation were investigated and grouped into four categories: sociodemographic factors, cardiac risk factors, patient medical status and service-level factors. Logistic binary regression models were built for male patients and female patients, assessing the likelihood for CR engagement. Each included predictors such as age, number of comorbidities and social deprivation score.

Results

There were no important differences in the factors that predict the likelihood of CR engagement in men and women. Seven factors associated with a reduced probability of CR engagement, and eight factors associated with increased probability, were identified. Fourteen of the 15 factors identified as predicting the likelihood for engagement/non-engagement were the same for both men and women. Increasing age, being South Asian or non-white ethnicity (other than Black) and being single were all associated with a reduced likelihood of attending an initial CR baseline assessment in both men and women. Male patients with diabetes were 11% less likely to engage with CR; however, there was no significant association in women. Results showed that the overwhelmingly important determinant of CR engagement observed in both men and women was receiving an invitation to attend an assessment session (OR 4.223 men/4.033women; p<0.05).

Conclusions

Consideration of gender differences in predictors of CR uptake should probably be more nuanced and informed by the stage of the patient care pathway.

Patient preferences for types of community-based cardiac rehabilitation programme

Introduction

Cardiac rehabilitation (CR) improves mortality, morbidity and quality of life of cardiovascular patients. However, its uptake is poor especially in the hospitals due to long travel distances and office hours constraints. Community-based CR is a possible solution.

Objectives

To understand the type of community-based CR preferred and identify patient characteristics associated with certain programme combinations.

Methods

A cross-sectional survey was administered to a randomised list of patients at risk for or with cardiovascular diseases at two community-based CR centres. Participants were presented with nine hypothetical choice sets and asked to choose only one of the two alternative programme combinations in each choice set. Attributes include support group presence, cash incentives, upfront deposit and out-of-pocket cost. The counts for each combination were tallied and corrected for repeats. Chi-square test and logistic regression were performed to understand the characteristics associated with the preferred CR combination.

Results

After correcting for repeats, patients most (85.2%) prefer CR programmes with new group activities, support group, cash rewards, deposit and out-of-pocket cost, and few exercise equipment with physiotherapist presence without the need for monitoring equipment. Patients with more than three bedrooms in their house are less likely (OR 0.367; CI 0.17 to 0.80; P=0.011) to choose the choice with no physiotherapist and few equipment available.

Conclusion

This is the first study to explore patients' preferences for different types of community CR. Higher income patients prefer physiotherapist presence and are willing to settle for less equipment. Our study serves as a guide for designing future community-based CR programmes.

Patients' perception and adherence to vaginal dilator therapy: a systematic review and synthesis employing symbolic interactionism

BACKGROUND

Vaginal dilator (VD) therapy is often recommended for women receiving pelvic radiation therapy or experiencing pain and discomfort during intercourse, as well as for women with a congenital malformation of the vagina. VD use has both physical and psychological benefits; however, it often causes pain, discomfort, and adverse emotions, including embarrassment and loss of modesty, which often result in low adherence to therapy.

OBJECTIVES

The aims of this study were to explore the use and adherence of VD therapy in women, identify barriers and facilitators of therapy adherence, and suggest improvement strategies from the theoretical perspective of symbolic interactionism.

METHODS

A systematic review of the literature was conducted using PubMed, CINAHL, and Scopus databases, with no year restrictions. Articles addressing the experience of women using VD therapy, as well as barriers and facilitators of therapy adherence were selected and analyzed. Then, the theoretical perspective of symbolic interactionism was introduced and applied to synthesize the results.

RESULTS

A total of 21 articles were selected for the review. Most of the reviewed studies explored VD therapy in women who had undergone pelvic radiation therapy for gynecological cancer. Women's adherence to the therapy ranged between 25% and 89.2%, with great variance in definitions and methods for assessing therapy adherence. Among the five categories of identified barriers to therapy adherence, "unhelpful circumstances" and "negative perceptions toward the VD" were the two most frequently mentioned. The two most frequently reported facilitators of adherence among the six identified categories were "supportive interactions with health care providers" and "risk perception and positive outcome expectancies". On the basis of the perspective of symbolic interactionism, strategies for strengthening interactions with others (eg, health care providers, significant others, and support groups) are discussed in detail.

CONCLUSION

Strategic intervention regarding the decisive factors identified in the review can benefit women by enhancing their experience and adherence to VD therapy.

Exploring Product-Specific Attributes of a Community Cardiac Rehabilitation Program in an Asian Urban City

BACKGROUND

Cardiac rehabilitation (CR) has been proven to improve long-term outcomes for patients. Despite its benefits, its uptake throughout the world is poor. Factors affecting the motivation and barriers impeding an individual from participating in a CR program have been extensively studied. Nevertheless, knowledge of product-specific factors in affecting participation is lacking.

OBJECTIVES

To find out cultural-specific product attributes that are important to those contemplating participation in a community-based CR program using Consolidated criteria for Reporting Qualitative research (COREQ) as an anchor.

METHODS

Participants were recruited from attendees of the CR program at the Singapore Heart Foundation. A literature review was done to identify product-specific attributes that affected participation in CR programs. An interview guide was developed on the basis of the list of product attributes. The analysis was done by two independent analysts using NVivo version 11 (QSR International, Melbourne, Australia) via an inductive approach. Data analysis was carried out with recruitment and interviews ongoing until thematic saturation was reached.

RESULTS

In total, 13 male and 9 female participants (16 Chinese, 4 Indian, 1 Malay, and 1 Eurasian) aged between 47 and 89 years were interviewed. A total of 8 categories (System, Infrastructure, Environment, Monitoring, Activity, Program, Staff, and Companionship) with 30 subcategories were identified. New themes that have not been explored by previous studies were discovered under five different categories: System, Infrastructure, Environment, Program, and Companionship.

CONCLUSIONS

This study allows a better understanding of product-specific factors affecting participation in CR programs and serves as a springboard for further research to improve participation in community-based CR programs.

Understanding motivations to participate in an observational research study: Why do patients enroll?

By understanding common motivations for participating in observational research studies, clinicians may better understand the perceived benefits of research participation from their clients' perspective. We enrolled 164 cardiac patients in a study about the effects of gratitude and optimism. Two weeks post-enrollment, participants completed a four-item questionnaire regarding motivations for study enrollment. Altruistic motivation ranked highest, while intellectual, health-related, and financial motivations rated lower. Four subgroups of participants emerged, each with distinct characteristics and different priorities for participating. These findings may help front-line clinicians to understand which motivations for participation apply to their clients who enroll in non-treatment-based research projects.