Patients' Experiences of and Perspectives on Phase 1 Cardiac Rehabilitation after Coronary Artery Bypass Graft Surgery

Abstract

Purpose: This study explored and described patients' experiences and perceptions of phase 1 cardiac rehabilitation (CR) after a coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) at a public hospital in the province of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. CR is recognized around the world as an effective means of preventing disability and prolonging life in post-CABG patients. Despite this, participation in CR is low. Furthermore, little is known about patients' perceptions of CR programmes in South Africa. Method: We used a descriptive qualitative study design to study nine purposively selected participants (mean age 56 y) who had received only individualized CR post-CABG or individualized CR in combination with group CR exercise. The participants were organized into focus groups of attenders and non-attenders of the group CR exercise classes. The four attenders were all men, and the non-attenders were three men and two women. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and subjected to thematic analysis. Results: The three main themes that emerged were communication challenges between health care professionals and patients, the patients' experience of physiotherapy, and their recommendations for service delivery. Conclusion: Patients' perceptions of the current delivery of phase 1 CR in this study setting emphasized that improvements need to be made in the areas of patient-centred care, equality of access to programmes, and appropriateness of programme content. The results appear to indicate that patients have a limited awareness of and participation in in-patient and outpatient CR programmes. Research into improving the design of CR programmes in South Africa is required, in consultation with patients and the multidisciplinary health care team.