title: Effects of home-based rehabilitation on health-related quality of life and psychological status in Chinese patients recovering from acute myocardial infarction.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study evaluated the effects of a home-based rehabilitation program for Chinese patients with myocardial infarction in terms of health-related quality of life and psychological status.
  
  
  METHODS
  This was a randomized, controlled trial with data collected at 2 university-affiliated public general hospitals in Xian (Shaanxi Province, People's Republic of China). One hundred and sixty patients with a myocardial infarction were randomly assigned to either the interventional group (a home-based cardiac rehabilitation program using a self-help manual) or the control group (usual care). Health-related quality of life (generic, Chinese Short Form 36-Item Health Survey; disease-specific, Chinese Myocardial Infarction Dimensional Assessment Scale) and psychological status (the Chinese Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale) were measured at baseline, program completion (6 weeks), and 3 and 6 months after hospital discharge.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Significant differences were evident in the main outcomes when the home-based group was compared with the usual care group at 6 weeks, 3 months, and 6 months. The home-based group had significantly higher scores on 4 of the 8 domains of the Chinese Short Form 36-Item Health Survey and on 3 of the 7 dimensions of the Chinese Myocardial Infarction Dimensional Assessment Scale, with significantly lower scores on the anxiety, but not the depression, subscale of the Chinese Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  A simple, home-based cardiac rehabilitation program for patients with acute myocardial infarction, using a self-help manual, improves health-related quality of life and reduces anxiety. It appears feasible and acceptable, and does not produce inferior outcomes compared with usualcare in China.
authors.affiliation: School of Health Sciences, Macao Polytechnic Institute, Macao, People's Republic of China. wwenru@ipm.edu.mo
authors.forename: Wenru
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Sek Ying
authors.initials: SY
authors.lastname: Chair
authors.forename: David R
authors.initials: DR
authors.lastname: Thompson
authors.forename: Sheila F
authors.initials: SF
authors.lastname: Twinn
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001007:Anxiety / Q000517:prevention & control; D002681:China; D005260:Female; D006305:Health Status Indicators; D006306:Health Surveys; D006699:Home Care Services; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000523:psychology* / Q000534:rehabilitation; D010353:Patient Education as Topic; D011594:Psychometrics; D011788:Quality of Life / Q000523:psychology*; D013315:Stress, Psychological; D016896:Treatment Outcome