[Evaluation of the effectiveness of an ambulatory after-care rehabilitation program].
Effects of an outpatient cardiological rehabilitation programme that is offered to patients following their inpatient treatment in a rehab clinic are measured and compared with the data collected from an untreated group. The study group consists of 155 cardiological patients (after heart attack, bypass operation and heart-valve prosthesis) in the treatment group as well as 136 in the non-treatment group. The outpatient programme takes place twice a week in a cardiological rehab clinic, with patients participating for a maximum period of twelve weeks. Data are collected at the beginning, the end and three months after the end of the programme from the treatment group resp. twice with a six months interval from the non-treatment group. The used outcome measures are a number of medical variables (e.g. stress ECG, BMI, blood pressure), variables concerning vocational reintegration, plus a questionnaire. This questionnaire consists of a Functional Limitation Scale, a Mood Check List, a "Health Locus of Control"-Scale as well as a number of items regarding health-related behaviour and heart complaint symptoms. The project duration was 36 months, starting in June 1993. The funding source is the "Landesversicherungsanstalt Westfalen", a regional division of the German Statutory Old Age Insurance. As data concerning vocational reintegration indicate, the programme can be a meaningful complement to a larger amount of reintegrated patients (66.9%) compared to the non-treatment group (50.2%). To estimate the long-term effects of the programme, a 24-month-follow-up was started in January 1996.
Röseler
S
S
Institut für Sozialmedizin, Epidemiologie und Gesundheits-systemforschung (ISEG), Witten/Hannover.
Schwartz
F W
FW
Karoff
M
M
D000328:Adult; D000359:Aftercare; D000553:Ambulatory Care; D001026:Coronary Artery Bypass / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D005260:Female; D005858:Germany; D006349:Heart Valve Diseases / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D006350:Heart Valve Prosthesis / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D010043:Outcome and Process Assessment, Health Care; D012050:Rehabilitation, Vocational; D016896:Treatment Outcome