Cardiac rehabilitation in a family practice setting

In January 1978, a cardiac rehabilitation program was begun at Fort Ord, California. The program is unique in being designed and run by family physicians. In the Medical Intensive Care Unit, the patient with a myocardial infarction is started on a graduated exercise program and a structured course concerning heart disease. Eight weeks after the infarction, the patient is asked to join an out-patient exercise class meeting three times a week. The patient's progress is followed by serial treadmill and blood tests. After training for six months, the patients have shown an increase in exercise tolerance and a decrease in incidence of readmission for cardiac disease. Most importantly, the patients have become actively involved in their own treatment.