Continuing medical education cardiac rehabilitation: A new frontier for behavioral medicine
Secondary prevention of coronary disease has traditionally involved primarily surgery and pharmacologic management. However, it has become increasingly evident that successful rehabilitation also involves modification of those overt behaviors that place cardiac patients at greater risk for reinfarction and death. “Behavioral medicine” is a new field concerned with the application of behavioral science knowledge to medical problems and holds particular promise for the area of cardiac rehabilitation. The present review summarizes the behavioral strategies currently employed to treat coronary patients, with particular attention paid to such interventions as exercise, dietary management, smoking cessation, psychotherapy, type A modification, and procedures to enhance patient compliance. The importance of a multidisciplinary approach to successful rehabilitation is emphasized. © 1983 The American Burn Association.
