title: Patient participation in a cardiac rehabilitation program.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Cardiac rehabilitation programs (CRPs) aim to help patients with cardiovascular disease achieve lifestyle changes. However, attendance and completion of programs are poor worldwide. The rationale for this study was to explore patterns of attendance and completion of a CRP located in a private hospital in metropolitan Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
  
  
  METHODS
  This exploratory descriptive study involved linking 2 databases to analyze demographic and cardiac characteristics of patients who did or did not attend the CRP.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Only 11.9% of patients likely to benefit attended the CRP. Predictors of attendance included marital status, gender, age, and proximity of the program to home. The crucial area identified in need of improvement is the referral process to increase the rate of participation.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The major finding is the need for improvement in referral and recruitment structures to increase awareness of the program and the participation rate. Practices such as automatic referral and followup of patients are recommended. The study outcomes will benefit future research on referral processes to the CRP at the hospital.
authors: Epworth/Deakin Centre for Clinical Nursing Research, Epworth Healthcare, Richmond, Victoria, Australia. jo.mcdonall@deakin.edu.au
authors: Joanne
authors: J
authors: McDonall
authors: Mari
authors: M
authors: Botti
authors: Bernice
authors: B
authors: Redley
authors: Beverley
authors: B
authors: Wood
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001315:Australia; D000072038:Cardiac Rehabilitation; D005260:Female; D016304:Hospitals, Private; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010045:Outpatients; D010349:Patient Compliance / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D010358:Patient Participation / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012017:Referral and Consultation; D012189:Retrospective Studies