Study title

Research questions: 1) Does physical and mental health improve in the first 6 weeks of the rehabilitation period? 2) Will the patients get a healthier lifestyle in the early rehabilitation phase? 3) Are the patients satisfied with the health service given at the Heart Outpatient Clinic? Design: Goal based evaluation research. Exploratory, quantitative pre-post-post study with semi structured self-reported questionnaires. Sample: The population was patients enrolled in a clinic's comprehensive prevention program for heart patients. The sample was a nonprobability single selected intervention group of 48 selected heart patients (31 men and 17 women) with cardiac infarction, angina pectoris and heart failure. Age ranged from 39 to 75. Mean age was 61,9. Stand. Dev. 9,31. The inclusion was consecutive. Results: 1) The results showed a significant improvement in both physical and mental health the first six weeks of the rehabilitation period. The improvement in physical health occurred mainly in the last three weeks, while the improvement in mental health occurred mainly in the first three weeks. 2) Significant changes in lifestyle were made in the following areas; physical activity and diastolic blood pressure increased, daily consume of cigarettes decreased, and the patients experienced a decreased amount of personal stress. The results showed no significant changes in body weight, alcohol consumption or systolic blood pressure. 3) The patients were in general very satisfied with the rehabilitation service given, but the findings suggest that there is room for improvement in the following areas; education (information, counselling and teaching), caring, communication and cooperation, motivation, use of written goals and plans for lifestyle changes, information on patients' rights, telephone support, discharge planning, continuity in doctor follow-up and contact with dietician, psychologist and physiotherapist. 4) Possible causes cannot be determined due to lack...