Most rehabilitation programmes are provided from a hospital base, but evidence that home-based programmes produce similar outcomes is increasing.6,7 Inadequate funding,2,8,9 and acknowledgement that many patients prefer home-based programmes,10 indicate a need for more active primary care involvement in service delivery. Information about referral and the sociodemographic characteristics and quality of life of individuals who are not invited to current rehabilitation services is incomplete.2
How this fits in
Cardiac rehabilitation is a cost-effective treatment but many potentially eligible patients do not attend. Primary care is identified as having a key role in improving uptake, yet little is known regarding its knowledge of patients’ invitation and attendance. Information relating to rehabilitation was found in primary care for 77% of patients after myocardial infarction and indicated that 37% attended: those who attended were younger, with a better quality of life. Innovative strategies are needed to improve systems integrating hospital and primary care services and to maximise patients’ potential for health gain.
This study aimed to determine, from within primary care, how many patients, after a MI, are invited to and attend rehabilitation, to examine sociodemographic characteristics associated with invitation, and to compare quality of life between those who do and do not attend.