The development of an evidence-based and participant-centered cardiac rehabilitation education curriculum

Abstract

Cardiac rehabilitation (CR) is considered a standard of care following a cardiac event. Prince Edward Island (PEI) did not have a formal outpatient CR program until February of 2017. The purpose of this project was to create an evidence-based and participantcentered CR education curriculum to be utilized by staff and delivered to participants in the new CR program in PEI. Methods: A literature review was performed to determine the benefits of CR, the patients’ perceptions of learning needs following a cardiac event, and the effectiveness of SMART goal setting, Knowles’ Principles of Adult Learning, and King’s Theory of Goal Attainment. Experts with experience in CR and a patient who had an experienced an acute myocardial infarction were surveyed to determine what content should be included in CR education and how the content should be delivered. Thirty SMART goals set by former participants of a CR program in PEI were reviewed to determine typical health and wellness goals. The qualitative data collected were analyzed using the process of content analysis. Results: Cardiac rehabilitation programs have been shown to reduce mortality, improve symptoms, reduce smoking rates, increase exercise tolerance, reduce risk factors for cardiovascular disease, improve psychosocial wellbeing, and prevent hospital readmissions. The consultations revealed a need to include selfmanagement skills and Knowles’ Principles of Adult Learning in cardiac education. The most frequent goals set by CR participants were related to physical activity and diet. Conclusion: Data collected from clinical experts and participants in CR, best practice guidelines, and critically appraised literature can provide multidimensional information that can be utilized to guide the creation an evidence-based and participant-centered CR education curriculum.