NURSE-LED CARDIAC REHAB AND HEALTH BEHAVIOR CHANGE IN MYOCARDIAL INFARCTION PATIENTS

Abstract

The rising incidence of myocardial infarction (MI) in Pakistan has led to increased use of interventional treatments like angioplasty. However, these procedures alone are insufficient for long-term health maintenance. Cardiac rehabilitation, involving a multidisciplinary team, is essential to promote health behavior changes and improve life expectancy. Paired sample t-tests and descriptive statistics were used to assess health behavior changes before and after cardiac rehabilitation. Significant improvements were observed in physical activity, nutrition, and medication adherence post-rehabilitation. Correlations indicated positive effects on health behaviors (r = 0.598, P = 0.001 for activity; r = 0.316, P = 0.001 for food intake; r = 0.428, P = 0.000 for medication adherence). Pre-intervention data showed poor health behaviors among MI patients. Post-intervention, statistically significant improvements were observed in all areas of health behavior.