News Release

Heart Attack Rehabilitation Needs To Be More Comprehensive

Peer-Reviewed Publication

BMJ

(Adherence to cardiac rehabilitation guidelines: a survey of rehabilitation programmes in the UK)

Adherence to guidelines which suggest that cardiac patients should receive tailor-made rehabilitation programmes is poor, say Professor Robert Lewin et al from the Institute of Rehabilitation at the University of Hull in this week's BMJ. In their study of over 273 cardiac rehabilitation programmes in the UK the authors found that few physicians play a part in rehabilitation programmes and there is little in the way of assessment of patients' needs. The authors find this particularly worrying as efforts to prevent further heart attacks should be an important goal of rehabilitation.

Lewin et al conclude that those responsible for commissioning a cardiac rehabilitation service should ensure that it is adequately resourced to allow the appropriate care to be administered.

Contact:

Professor Robert Lewin, British Heart Foundation Rehabilitation Research Unit, Department of Health Studies, University of York, York rjpl1@york.ac.uk

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