The Benefits of Cardiac Rehabilitation for Post-Myocardial Infarction Patients

Abstract

Myocardial infarction is one of the most significant causes of death worldwide. Factors leading to a patient's risk of having a myocardial infarction are obesity, smoking, high cholesterol, hypertension, and a sedentary lifestyle. If patients knew of these risks, the likelihood of a myocardial infarction occurring could decrease. Because of a lack of information about the topic, many patients unfortunately experience a myocardial infarction before it is preventable. Lack of knowledge about how serious the disease is and treatment is also a reason for not going through with cardiac rehabilitation. People around the world need to be educated about myocardial infarction risks and the positive outcomes of attending cardiac rehabilitation. The aim of this study is to improve the quality of life of myocardial infarction patients by determining the long-term benefits of going through with cardiac rehabilitation. A review of the literature was conducted. CINAHL was used to search articles pertaining to the research topic. Results include the following: a lack of cardiac knowledge led to patients' unawareness of the need for attending cardiac rehabilitation; patients improved both physically and psychologically after attending rehabilitation; individualized education has been the most effective for myocardial infarction patients. Myocardial infarction can potentially be prevented through education of cardiac patients on the benefits and importance of cardiac rehabilitation. Results from this study have implications for helping to decrease morbidity and mortality among this high-risk population.