The relationship of cardiovascular and psychological impairments to the health status of patients enrolled in cardiac rehabilitation programs.
OBJECTIVE
Understanding the causes of differences in disability among individuals is an important research focus for rehabilitation professionals. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between health status and the impairments commonly associated with cardiovascular pathophysiology.


METHODS
The subjects were patients (N=789) enrolled in 13 cardiac rehabilitation programs in Massachusetts.


METHODS
Data were collected on psychological and physiological impairments, demographic characteristics, and health status. Multivariate analyses were used to determine which measures of impairment and patient characteristics were related to health status.


RESULTS
Psychological impairment was related to all scales of the MOS 36-item Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36). Very few measures of physiological impairment and individual characteristics were related to SF-36 scores. The models accounted for 16% to 57% of the variability of the instrument's scales.


CONCLUSIONS
In patients entering cardiac rehabilitation, psychological distress is related to poor health in both the physical and psychological dimensions. Variability in health status is not well explained by traditional measures of impairment or demographic characteristics. Physical therapists working to address their patients' health needs must consider collecting data, setting goals, and devising interventions that address psychological impairment.
Jette
D U
DU
Graduate Program in Physical Therapy, Simmons College, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
Downing
J
J
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000072038:Cardiac Rehabilitation; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000523:psychology*; D003625:Data Collection; D003710:Demography; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care; D011581:Psychological Tests; D013315:Stress, Psychological