Patient-provider communication regarding referral to cardiac rehabilitation

Area of Science:

• Cardiology
• Health Services Research
• Patient Communication

Background:

• Cardiac rehabilitation (CR) improves outcomes for cardiac patients.
• Understanding factors influencing CR participation is crucial for optimizing patient engagement.
• Effective patient-provider communication is vital in the referral process.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore patient-provider communication dynamics in the cardiac rehabilitation referral process.
• To identify specific communication aspects that predict cardiac rehabilitation participation.
• To understand patient perceptions of healthcare provider discussions about CR.

Main Methods:

• Conducted semi-structured individual interviews with 31 eligible cardiac rehabilitation patients.
• Analyzed interview transcripts using grounded theory approach with N6 software.
• Focused on content and patient perception of discussions regarding CR attendance.

Main Results:

• Key themes influencing participation included illness perceptions, healthcare provider (HCP) encouragement, timing of discussion, and ease of referral.
• Patients who attended CR were more likely to self-advocate for enrollment.
• Non-attenders tended to minimize their illness severity and faced more enrollment obstacles.

Conclusions:

• Patient self-advocacy and perceived ease of enrollment are critical for cardiac rehabilitation participation.
• The healthcare provider's ability to facilitate enrollment is more influential than the referral's strength.
• Improving communication strategies to enhance patient understanding and overcome barriers is essential for increasing CR uptake.