Two-thirds of heart attack survivors miss out on life-saving service
Posted on 27 August 2009
The 2009 National Audit of Cardiac Rehabilitation (NACR), compiled by a team of researchers led by Professor Bob Lewin of the University’s Department of Health Sciences, found that only 34 per cent of 83,540 heart attack sufferers took part in a cardiac rehabilitation programme.
It is important that all of the staff within the health service understand the benefits of cardiac rehabilitation
Professor Bob Lewin
The study by the York BHF Cardiac Care and Education Research Group, found that just 30 per cent of those who underwent an angioplasty procedure and 68 per cent of those who had coronary artery bypass operations received the essential service. Overall the audit, which covered England, Wales and Northern Ireland, discovered that only 38 per cent of heart patients attended cardiac rehabilitation.
Cardiac rehabilitation gives heart attack patients a 26 per cent greater chance of surviving in the five years following their diagnosis by providing them with the vital skills to manage their condition and significantly improves their quality of life.
The NACR, commissioned by the BHF, also found that women were significantly under-represented in the programme. While women made up 37% of heart attack survivors, only 28% of patients that took part in cardiac rehabilitation were women.
The report indicates the service is falling short of the goals outlined in the National Service Framework for Coronary Heart Disease in England (2000), which set a target for 85 per cent of cardiac patients to be invited to participate in cardiac rehabilitation. There has been no significant increase in the proportion of patients referred to rehabilitation programmes since last year’s audit.
Professor Lewin said: “Patient referral is one of the main reasons why people are not attending. Many patients are simply not aware that it exists or that they should be taking part.
“It is worrying that a third of patients who were offered the service said they weren’t interested. Why wouldn’t you be interested in a service that could prolong and improve your life? It is important that all of the staff within the health service understand the benefits of cardiac rehabilitation and communicate how important it is to their patients.”
Dr Mike Knapton, Associate Medical Director at the BHF, added:
“The number of heart patients taking part in cardiac rehabilitation hasn’t increased since the last report. The audit shows that progress on making this life-saving service available to patients is flat-lining.”
“Recovery from a heart attack isn’t over when a patient leaves hospital and heart patients should be receiving the ongoing support they need. Referral to cardiac rehabilitation should be a routine part of treating heart patients, and until this happens they will continue to miss out.”
In addition, the report did not find a single cardiac rehabilitation programme which met minimum staffing requirements. Only one per cent of programmes meet the staffing guideline for pharmacy, eight per cent met the guideline for dieticians and nine per cent for psychological support.
Cardiac rehabilitation involves nurses, physiotherapists, dieticians, psychologists and occupational therapists who work with their patients both one-to-one and in groups.
At the end of the programme, patients are able to understand their condition, have greater confidence and are able to regain a high quality of life.
ENDS
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