BSN4416 Research Proposal
Final Project
Woman Focused Cardiac Rehab
A Randomized Control Trial
Cardiovascular disease (CVD), is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality for men and women (World Health Organization, 2014). Statistics show that more women die every year than men following a coronary event; 56.3% of all heart failure deaths are women. (American College of Cardiology, 2013). Additionally, in the first year following a coronary event, women are more likely to experience morbidity and mortality (World Health Organization, 2014). As a way of lowering the associated risks following a coronary event, cardiac rehab (CR) programs have been implemented for patients (Oosenbrug, et al., 2016). CR provides a variety of resources for patients after their cardiac event, and initial intervention in order to regain optimal functioning and health status (Oosenbrug, et al., 2016). Additionally, recent research has found that women who participate in CR can end up with even better outcomes than men (Lavie, Bennett, & Arena, 2017). Knowing that women are under referred to CR, but have better outcomes when they attend, is why it is so important to look into a CR program that is solely for women.
Background
Looking into CR from a nursing perspective is important as research has identified a need for a multidisciplinary team in executing effective CR programs (Eshah & Bond, 2009). Although this has been identified, nurse contributions have not been included in studies (Eshah & Bond, 2009). In previous research on the topic, many articles reviewed identified a gender difference in referral to CR. It was often younger, married Caucasian men with highest referral rates (Brown et al., 2009). This is concerning as it is well known that CR reduces morbidity and mortality for all patients following a coronary event (Oosenbrug, et al., 2016). The studies from previous research identified the gender differences in referral to CR (Colella et al., 2014; Aragam et al., 2011; Brown et al., 2009; Dunlay et al., 2009; Johnson et al., 2010; Stewart Williams, 2009; Beckstead et al., 2013; Cupples et al., 2010; Grace et al., 2008; Sanderson et al., 2010).