PATIENTS’ PERCEPTIONS AND BELIEFS CONTRIBUTING TO NON-INTENTION TO ATTEND CARDIAC REHABILITATION PROGRAM: A LOCAL PERSPECTIVE

OBJECTIVE This study aimed to explore the perceptions and beliefs of patients contributing to non-intention to attend Cardiac Rehabilitation (CR). METHODS A cross-sectional study in which a total number of 148 voluntary patients were enrolled to local CR programs for the research. Purposive sampling method was used and the data was collected in 6 months. A structured questionnaire was used to collect data regarding socio-demographic characteristics and patients' beliefs and perceptions related to non-intention to attend CR. RESULTS 64.8% of the 148 patients had intended to attend CR and mean age (± SD) of patients was 54.8 (± 12.3) years with 64.9% males. For categorical variables, Spearman Correlation test was used in which patients' intention to attend CR was significantly associated with ethnicity (P < 0.01), patient diagnosis and procedure (P < 0.001) and residential area (P < 0.001). Conversely, no association has been found between gender, age, educational status, and the use of tobacco with the patients' intentions for CR. Misconceptions about CR were identified as the key barriers for non-intention to attend CR. These findings reflected patients' lack of knowledge about CR course content (55.8%), misperceptions that exercise should be avoided to prevent fatigue in cardiac patients (71.2%), walking on treadmill would be more difficult than walking on floor (67.3%) and uncertainty about the suitability and necessity of exercise for their personal mode of heart disease (40.4%). Moreover, other barriers reported were transport difficulties (73.1%), unavailability of attendants to accompany (25%), and work responsibilities (17.3%). CONCLUSIONS Lack of knowledge about CR benefits and misperceptions about personal suitability are reported to as key barriers. Comprehensive information delivery about the benefits of CR, motivation and endorsement by the physician to attend CR programs and accessibility of CR sites nearby residence could be used to address barriers in attending CR.