BEST NURSING PRACTICES IN CARDIAC REHABILITATION

Abstract

Purpose: This thesis aims to develop a set of best practice recommendations for nursing in the cardiac rehabilitation (CR) setting. The objective is to increase access and adherence to CR programs while improving outcomesin patients who have experienced acute myocardial infarction (AMI).Background: AMIis one of the leading causes of death and physical disability in developed nations (Zhang, Cao, Jiang, & Tang, 2018).Unfortunately, only about 20 percent of eligible patients will participate in a CR program after experiencing a qualifying cardiac event (Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, 2019). It is estimated that increasing CR participation from 20 percent to 70 percent could save nearly 25,000 lives and prevent about 180,000 hospitalizations a year (Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, 2019).Approach to practice: A review of literature was conducted in the CINHAL Plus database. The search parameters included peer reviewed articles that were published within the last10 years. Key words used in the search of literature search included “cardiac rehab or cardiac rehabilitation” in addition to “exercises,” “resistance training,” “home-based,” “telehealth,” and “COVID-19.”Outcomes: The proposed best practices can be used to identify components that should be included in a quality CRprogram as well as evidence-based suggestions to increaseCRaccess and adherence.Conclusions: Home-based CR programs may offer a way to increase access and adherence to CR programs while improving patient outcomes. More research is needed to determine specific practices that may improve patient outcomes in CR.