PATIENTS’ PERCEPTIONS AND BELIEFS CONTRIBUTING TO NON-INTENTION TO ATTEND CARDIAC REHABILITATION PROGRAM: A LOCAL PERSPECTIVE

Abstract

OBJECTIVE
This study aimed to explore the perceptions and beliefs of patients
contributing to non-intention to attend Cardiac Rehabilitation (CR).
METHODS
A cross-sectional study in which a total number of 148 voluntary
patients were enrolled to local CR programs for the research. Purposive
sampling method was used and the data was collected in 6
months. A structured questionnaire was used to collect data regarding
socio-demographic characteristics and patients’ beliefs and
perceptions related to non-intention to attend CR.
RESULTS
64.8% of the 148 patients had intended to attend CR and mean age
(± SD) of patients was 54.8 (± 12.3) years with 64.9% males. For categorical
variables, Spearman Correlation test was used in which
patients’ intention to attend CR was significantly associated with
ethnicity (P < 0.01), patient diagnosis and procedure (P < 0.001) and
residential area (P < 0.001). Conversely, no association has been
found between gender, age, educational status, and the use of
tobacco with the patients’ intentions for CR. Misconceptions about
CR were identified as the key barriers for non-intention to attend CR.
These findings reflected patients’ lack of knowledge about CR
course content (55.8%), misperceptions that exercise should be
avoided to prevent fatigue in cardiac patients (71.2%), walking on
treadmill would be more difficult than walking on floor (67.3%) and
uncertainty about the suitability and necessity of exercise for their
personal mode of heart disease (40.4%). Moreover, other barriers
reported were transport difficulties (73.1%), unavailability of attendants
to accompany (25%), and work responsibilities (17.3%).
CONCLUSIONS
Lack of knowledge about CR benefits and misperceptions about
personal suitability are reported to as key barriers. Comprehensive
information delivery about the benefits of CR, motivation and
endorsement by the physician to attend CR programs and accessibility
of CR sites nearby residence could be used to address barriers
in attending CR.

KEYWORDS
beliefs, cardiac rehabilitation, coronary heart disease, perceptions, intentions, non-attendance