Nurse-managed education: the effectiveness of secondary prevention after acute coronary syndromes and the prevalence and predictors of dropout from a cardiac rehabilitation programme

Abstract

Introduction Education programmes are now very often used to limit the consequences associated with a steady increase in the incidence of cardiovascular disease. It is important to assess the effectiveness of these programmes and the reasons why people drop out. Aim To evaluate the effects of intensive education of patients undergoing acute invasive cardiology procedures compared to the control group (patients educated in a classical way). Material and methods Randomized trial. Measurements of body weight and body composition: during hospital stay, at 45 and 180 days after acute coronary syndrome. We used a self-prepared questionnaire, LOR-T and a TANITA BC1000 body composition analyser. Results The sample consisted of 73 patients aged 48 to 89 years. Men constituted 58.9% of the participants. 43.8% of the respondents appeared for a follow-up visit after 45 days, and after 180 days 32.8% came. Body weight, body mass index (BMI), and health condition of the patients did not change significantly during the study. 67.1% of respondents dropped out from the nurse-managed cardiac education programme. People who were in better health, smoking, without comorbidities, having a heart attack, living far from the place of education more often dropped out from follow-up visits. Conclusions Patient education proved ineffective. Body weight, BMI, and health condition of the subjects, both at the time of inclusion and during the long-term evaluation, were very unfavourable.