Long-term risk factor management after inpatient cardiac rehabilitation by means of a structured post-care programme

Area of Science:

• Cardiology
• Preventive Medicine
• Health Informatics

Background:

• Cardiac rehabilitation and secondary prevention programs aim to improve long-term cardiac risk factors.
• Effective strategies are needed to sustain improvements post-program.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the long-term impact of a Health Guide intervention on cardiac risk factors.
• To assess the effectiveness of a Health Guide in cardiac rehabilitation and secondary prevention.

Main Methods:

• Prospective study involving 2664 coronary heart disease patients.
• Data on blood pressure, cholesterol, weight, physical activity, and smoking collected via Health Guide at admission, discharge, and 3-month intervals for 12 months.
• Analysis of risk factor changes over time and comparison between different investigation periods.

Main Results:

• All tracked cardiac risk factors improved during the rehabilitation program.
• After one year, most risk factors were significantly lower than at admission, except for total cholesterol.
• Individual goals for body weight and LDL cholesterol were partially met and maintained at one year.
• Cholesterol and blood pressure were significantly lower in 2004-2007 compared to 2000-2003.

Conclusions:

• The Health Guide intervention demonstrated improved long-term effects for cardiac rehabilitation and secondary prevention.
• This simple and cost-effective tool aids in patient guidance and management of cardiac risk factors.
• Sustained improvements in cardiac risk factors can be achieved through guided self-monitoring.