The systematic development of a nursing intervention aimed at increasing enrollment in cardiac rehabilitation for acute coronary syndrome patients.

Acute coronary syndrome (ACS) is a leading cause of morbidity worldwide. Although cardiac rehabilitation (CR) programs can decrease recurrence of coronary events by as much as 25%, few patients engage in CR after a cardiac event. Current therapeutic procedures for ACS are provided quickly after the onset of symptoms, resulting in briefer hospital stays. Therefore, within this shorter time frame, the education of patients about ACS risk factors and their reduction presents a new nursing challenge. The purpose of this paper is to describe the systematic pathway in the development of a nursing intervention which addresses these new challenges in ACS risk factor reduction. The intervention aims to increase enrollment in CR, and enhance illness perceptions and medication adherence, while decreasing anxiety, risk factors, and emergency revisits.