UVM Theses and Dissertations
Format:
Print
Author:
LaRosa, Andrea
Dept./Program:
Nursing
Year:
2010
Degree:
MS
Abstract:
A retrospective descriptive study utilizing an existing database ofPhase II cardiac rehabilitation participants at an academic health center assessed characteristics of young cardiac rehabilitation patients at or under 35 years ofage. As cardiac rehabilitation was designed primarily for individuals with coronary artery disease, a process for which risk greatly increases with age, the majority of participants in traditional cardiac rehabilitation programs and individuals featured in cardiac rehabilitation research are older in age. The characteristics ofthose young patients were compared with those ofolder patients over 35 years ofage.
It was found that cardiac rehabilitation patients under 35 years ofage were attending cardiac rehabilitation for diagnoses different than those over 35 years of age, that they had different attendance rates, different smoking habits, different rates of hypertension, and different levels of variation in BMI and cholesterol, as well as different medication usage, among other characteristics. Implications for this study are widespread and range from the potential for Advanced Practice Registered Nurses (APRN) to redesign current cardiac rehabilitation programs using nursing theory as a framework to health insurance coverage changes for inclusion ofnew indications for cardiac rehabilitation and for cardiac rehabilitation to expand the population to which it offers services.
This study was limited by several factors, including the population that the health center serves and results may not be genetalized to other areas. Given this, future research should include current cardiac rehabilitation usage of individuals under 35 years of age in other areas, the personal subjective experience of cardiac rehabilitation patients under 35 years ofage separate from their objective data, and an investigation of what potential barriers to cardiac rehabilitation attendance for individuals under 35 years ofage might be.
It was found that cardiac rehabilitation patients under 35 years ofage were attending cardiac rehabilitation for diagnoses different than those over 35 years of age, that they had different attendance rates, different smoking habits, different rates of hypertension, and different levels of variation in BMI and cholesterol, as well as different medication usage, among other characteristics. Implications for this study are widespread and range from the potential for Advanced Practice Registered Nurses (APRN) to redesign current cardiac rehabilitation programs using nursing theory as a framework to health insurance coverage changes for inclusion ofnew indications for cardiac rehabilitation and for cardiac rehabilitation to expand the population to which it offers services.
This study was limited by several factors, including the population that the health center serves and results may not be genetalized to other areas. Given this, future research should include current cardiac rehabilitation usage of individuals under 35 years of age in other areas, the personal subjective experience of cardiac rehabilitation patients under 35 years ofage separate from their objective data, and an investigation of what potential barriers to cardiac rehabilitation attendance for individuals under 35 years ofage might be.