Abstract
AimTo explore and describe long‐term thoughts and perceptions of the Aussie Heart Guide Programme including the role of the mentor, held by patients recovering from myocardial infarction.DesignA qualitative design.MethodsThirteen patients recovering from myocardial infarction who were unable to attend a hospital‐based or affiliated outpatient cardiac rehabilitation programme were interviewed by telephone at the completion of the programme and asked to describe the relationship with their assigned nurse mentor and their perception of the audiovisual used in the programme.ResultsThree themes emerged; assisting me to cope, supporting me and my family and tailoring the programme to my needs. Patients were satisfied with the programme and appreciative of the supportive and caring relationships provided by mentors during their hospitalization through to their discharge from the programme.
Highlights
Cardiac rehabilitation (CR) is a validated, evidencedbased service (Leon et al 2005) offered to people who have experienced a cardiac event such as myocardial infarction (MI) or at risk of developing coronary heart disease (CHD)
There has been limited evaluation of this new programme, the aim of this study was to explore and describe long-term thoughts and perceptions of the Aussie Heart Guide Programme (AHGP) including the role of the mentor, held by patients recovering from MI
Participants in our study found the AHGP enabled them to complete a programme of CR in their homes, thereby improving their access to CR even though they lived remotely from a hospital-based programme
Summary
Cardiac rehabilitation (CR) is a validated, evidencedbased service (Leon et al 2005) offered to people who have experienced a cardiac event such as myocardial infarction (MI) or at risk of developing coronary heart disease (CHD). CR services are provided in hospital and community settings, run by health professionals and depending on the setting, usually in a multidisciplinary framework and guided by best practice guidelines that feature core components (Thomas et al 2007). These services are not provided in rural and remote settings (De Angelis et al 2008) due to a lack of resources such as appropriate clinicians living in the areas (Mason 2013) and distances between small communities making the services less economically viable. With CR being integral to the comprehensive long-term cardiac care of patients diagnosed with CHD (World Health Organization Committee 1993), people living in these rural and regional communities potentially miss out on this vital component of their care (Dollard et al 2004) after being diagnosed with CHD.
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