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Effects of a Brief Intervention on Retention of Patients in a Cardiac Rehabilitation Program

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Abstract

This intervention assessed the effects of a brief intervention on dropout rate in a cardiac rehabilitation program. One hundred thirty five patients were recruited from a cardiac rehabilitation program and randomized to either a control or intervention group. The intervention group participated in four sessions of motivational interviewing and stress management-relaxation in addition to standard cardiac rehabilitation. The control group underwent cardiac rehabilitation alone. Patients who completed the intervention completed an average of 30 sessions while those who dropped out of the intervention completed about six (p < 0.001). Anxiety and depression measured at baseline were the primary predictors of dropout. Patients in both the intervention and controls groups who completed cardiac rehabilitation improved the distance walked, quality of life and decreased anxiety.

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Acknowledgments

We thank the staff of the Cardiac Rehabilitation Program at The University of Toledo Health Science Campus.

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Correspondence to Angele McGrady.

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These results were presented at the 2014 annual meeting of the Association for Applied Psychophysiology and Biofeedback, March, Savannah, Georgia.

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McGrady, A., Burkes, R., Badenhop, D. et al. Effects of a Brief Intervention on Retention of Patients in a Cardiac Rehabilitation Program. Appl Psychophysiol Biofeedback 39, 163–170 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10484-014-9252-y

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