Effectiveness of an education intervention among cardiac rehabilitation patients in Canada: A Multi-Site Study.

Abstract Background Although patient education is considered a core component of cardiac rehabilitation (CR) programs, to our knowledge, no educational program designed for CR has been standardized in Canada. This absence of standardization may be due to a lack of reliable resources to educate these patients. Herein, the objective of this study was to assess the effectiveness of an education intervention in improving knowledge and health behaviours among CR patients in three sites in Canada. Methods CR patients were exposed to an evidence- and theoretically-based comprehensive education intervention. Patients completed surveys assessing knowledge, physical activity, food intake, self-efficacy, and health literacy. All outcomes were assessed pre- and post-CR. Paired t-tests were used to investigate variable changes between pre- and post-CR, Pearson correlation coefficients were used to determine the association between knowledge and behaviours, and linear regression models were computed to investigate differences in overall post-CR knowledge based on participant characteristics. Results 252 patients consented to participate, of which 158 (63.0%) completed post-CR assessments. There was a significant improvement in patients’ overall knowledge pre- to post-CR, as well as in exercise, food intake, and self-efficacy (p Conclusion In this first-ever multi-site study focusing on patient education for CR patients in Canada, the benefits of an education intervention have been supported.