Findings imply that referral isn’t enough
THURSDAY, Aug. 6, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Cardiac rehabilitation programs are considered a key part of recovering from acute myocardial infarction (AMI) — but only a small minority of patients ever attend one, according to a research letter published online Aug. 3 in JAMA Internal Medicine.
Jacob Doll, M.D., the lead researcher on the study and a fellow at the Duke Clinical Research Institute in Durham, N.C., and colleagues examined records from 58,269 Medicare patients who were hospitalized for AMI between 2007 and 2010.
The researchers found that 62.4 percent of patients were referred to cardiac rehab when they were discharged from the hospital — but only 32.6 percent of those patients went. Those who did go were slightly younger and tended to have fewer baseline comorbidities.
“Our findings imply that referral isn’t enough,” Doll told HealthDay. “For many patients, attending cardiac rehab may be too expensive or inconvenient. Others may not understand the importance of cardiac rehab, despite being referred.”
Two authors disclosed financial ties to pharmaceutical companies.
Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)
Editorial (subscription or payment may be required)
Copyright © 2015 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
