Psychological assessment during cardiac rehabilitation

Abstract

Audit of the HADS scores revealed that post-MI patients waiting longer than six months for cardiac rehabilitation had the highest levels of 'significant' anxiety (HADS score >10). Results suggest that timely entry into a cardiac rehabilitation programme helps to reduce the HADS scores of post-MI patients. The HADS was shown to be an effective tool for assessing the psychological wellbeing of patients attending cardiac rehabilitation. It enables those with significant anxiety and/or depression to be identified and offered further assessment by a cognitive behavioural therapist.