Rehabilitation for patients with chronic heart failure: How do we deliver it to all?

Abstract

The Community Hear t Failure Team based in South West Essex identified a need to provide cardiac rehabilitation for patients with stable chronic heart failure (CHF) as these patients were excluded from the standard cardiac rehabilitation programme. The aim was to assess whether a home-based programme could provide similar outcomes to a group programme and provide demonstrable improvements in physical and or psychological health, providing a better quality of life to patients with stable CHF. Patients were assessed before and after the programmes using 6 minute walk test, deltoid muscle strength, Hospital Anxiety and Depression (HAD) scale and the Minnesota Living with Heart Failure Questionnaire (MLHFQ). A total of 18 patients completed the programmes, 6 on the home programme and 12 on the group programmes. Results from physical measures were positive and all patients reported improvements, however results from the HAD Scale and the MLHFQ were equivocal. From this small scale study, the home-based programme appears to be as beneficial as a group-based programme and when run concurrently with the group programme will enable the Community Hear t Failure Team to offer patients the most appropriate programme to meet their needs.