title: [Patient education in heart failure improves disease-related knowledge and behavior during cardiac rehabilitation].
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Heart failure is one of the most common und costly chronic diseases. Patient education is an important part of heart failure therapy. Rehabilitation aims to improve self-management abilities and the course of the disease. A structured heart failure education program was established to create knowledge about the disease and to implement a disease friendly behavior. The effectiveness was tested in a randomized controlled design.
  
  
  METHODS
  Patients were cluster randomized -assigned to an intervention group or a control group at the beginning of a rehabilitation. Both received a rehabilitation specifically geared to heart-failure-patients. The intervention group received additionally the education program, the control group a single lecture on the disease. At the end of rehabilitation and 6 months later the knowledge and integrity of the recommended self-tests have been checked. In addition the disease severity and pharmacotherapy were determined.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Both groups showed improvements in disease status. Participants of the education program had a sustained higher knowledge, were better adjusted to medication after 6 months and documented their self-tests more frequently.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Regardless to the education intervention an improvement of the disease status occurs during cardiac rehabilitation. The effective single components are still unclear. The evaluated education program leads specifically to an improved disease-related knowledge and improved self-management skills. Due to these results it seems useful to include cardiac rehabilitation in heart failure disease-management programs - a specific heart failure education program should be integrated.
authors.affiliation: Abteilung Kardiologie des Rehabilitationszentrums Seehof der Deutschen Rentenversicherung Bund, Teltow.
authors.forename: Johannes
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Glatz
authors.affiliation: Forschungsgruppe Psychosomatische Rehabilitation an der Charité, Universitätsmedizin Berlin und am -Rehabilitationszentrum Seehof, Teltow.
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Muschalla
authors.affiliation: Rehaklinik Heidelberg-Königstuhl der RehaZentren der Deutschen Rentenversicherung Baden-Württemberg, Heidelberg.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Karger
mesh_terms: D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D005260:Female; D005858:Germany; D015438:Health Behavior; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D057220:Health Literacy / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010353:Patient Education as Topic / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D040242:Risk Reduction Behavior; D016896:Treatment Outcome