Patient's Perception of Cardiac Rehabilitation after Coronary Artery Bypass Graft (CABG): A Qualitative Study

Background and Cardiac rehabilitation is an effective strategy to reduce complications of surgery for the patients undergone coronary artery bypass graft (CABG). The aim of this study was awareness of patient perceptions of cardiac rehabilitation after CABG to get better understanding about the nature of program, and its positive and negative aspects in order to reinforce its effectiveness. In this conventional qualitative content analysis, the samples were 19 post-CABG operation patients participated in cardiac rehabilitation programs in Center of Cardiac Rehabilitation in Guilan, Iran. Data collection was performed through unstructured interviews and purposive sampling. Data analysis accomplished according proposed steps by Graneheim and Lundman (2004). Scientific accuracy and integrity of the data and research ethics were respected. The data analysis revealed 4 main categories and 11 sub categories were named as a conceptual and abstract based on their nature: stress of disease diagnosis (fear of surgery and death, concern on post-surgery disability, and high cost of treatment), in search of adoption (family support, the desire to empowerment, and religious-faith beliefs), rearrangement of life (physical fitness promotion, hope to life, and return to society), and the factors affecting to participation in cardiac rehabilitation (barriers to participation in cardiac rehabilitation and facilitators to participation in cardiac rehabilitation). Based on patients perception that showed promote physical fitness, hope to life, and return to society, the significance of the program for patients and need to more effective strategies to facilitate their participation were confirmed.