Review: psychoeducational programmes reduce long term mortality and recurrence of myocardial infarction in cardiac patients
QUESTION: Can psychoeducational programmes (stress management and health education) reduce cardiac morbidity, mortality, and risk factors in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD)?
Data sources
Studies were identified by searching Medline and PsycLIT (1974–98) and by scanning bibliographies of relevant articles.
Study selection
Published studies were selected if they involved patients who had had a cardiac event (myocardial infarction [MI], coronary artery bypass grafting, percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty, or combination) within 6 months before treatment and if the study design was a randomised controlled trial (RCT) or quasi-randomised trial. Studies reporting effects on emotional distress were included only if effects on risk factors, related behaviours, morbidity, or cardiac mortality were also reported. Quasi-randomised trials were included only if samples were stratified or matched pairwise or if patients from the same hospital were allocated by using time periods.
Data extraction
2 reviewers independently abstracted data on the type and duration of intervention, …
