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Question 16#

You have been asked to help with the development and review of local CR services. As part of the programme the patients should receive a range of baseline measurements to help inform their goals and subsequently to assess them for change post-rehabilitation. 

Which one of the following is not a baseline measurement recommended by the Department of Health?

A. Psychological wellbeing (e.g. HADs)
B. Echocardiogram
C. BMI measurement or waist circumference
D. Functional capacity (e.g. shuttle walking test, six-minute walking test)
E. Quality of life (e.g. Dartmouth CO-OP Scale)

Correct Answer is B

Comment:

Although NICE guidelines for secondary prevention following myocardial infarction and chronic heart failure recommend the assessment of left cardiac function using echocardiography, this is not an assessment against which to assess change post-CR. These measures include:

1. psychological wellbeing (HADS)
2. functional capacity/fitness (shuttle walk test, six-minute walk test, etc)
3. BMI measures for all patients
4. quality of life (Dartmouth CO-OP or Minnesota Living with Heart Failure (MLWHF) tests)
5. smoking cessation
6. compliance with medication
7. compliance with a healthy eating plan.