Waiting Time for Start of Outpatient Cardiac Rehabilitation: Correlations of Non Compliance to Systematic Referral After Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery

[Objectives]To assess the waiting time, number of delays, and correlations of non-commitment to the systematic referral to the outpatient cardiac rehabilitation (CR) among coronary artery bypass surgery (CABG) patients.[Methods]The cross-sectional study data were gathered through evaluations related to 1,187 CABG patients who were referred to the outpatient CR of 1 hospital in western Iran during 2010 to 2014. The instruments included were demographics and actual risk factors checklist, single item of perceived risk factors, and Beck depression inventory (BDI). Data was analyzed via chi-square test, ANOVA, Bonferroni post hoc test, and binary logistic regression analysis.[Results]Among 1 187 patients (830 male), 27% had delayed referral, and the number of delays decreased from 2010 (49.3%) to 2014 (7.6%) (P < 0.001). The mean of the waiting time to receive outpatient CR in western Iran was an estimated 59 days. This mean has been reduced from 66 days (2010) to 53 days (2014) (P < 0.001). After adjustment for all demographics, the results indicated that diabetic patients (P = 0.002) and patients with biological (P = 0.002), behavioral (P = 0.003), or psychological (P = 0.002) perceived risk factors have less commitment. In addition, a family history of cardiac increases the possibility of commitment as 2.41 times (P < 0.001).[Conclusions]Despite the progressive process of patients’ admittance and acceptability of the present waiting time, especially after 2014, it seems that more attention to diabetic patients and patients without a family history of cardiac, and modification of attitudes about multiple risk factors can associate the self-care with more responsibility and it may also be affective in the control of harm consequences through commitment to the systematic referral.