Does socially differentiated cardiac rehabilitation affect the use of healthcare services after myocardial infarction? A 10-year follow-up study.

OBJECTIVE

To examine the long-term effect of a socially differentiated cardiac rehabilitation (CR) intervention tailored to reduce social inequalities in health regarding use of healthcare services in general practice and hospital among socially vulnerable patients admitted with first-episode myocardial infarction (MI).

DESIGN

A prospective cohort study with 10 years' follow-up.

SETTING

Department of cardiology at a university hospital in Denmark between 2000 and 2004.

PARTICIPANTS

Patients <70 years admitted with first-episode MI categorised as socially vulnerable (n=208) or non-socially vulnerable (n=171) based on educational level and social network.

INTERVENTION: A socially differentiated CR intervention. The intervention consisted of standard CR and expanded CR with focus on cross-sectional collaboration.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Participation in annual chronic care consultations in general practice, contacts to general practice, all-cause hospitalisations and cardiovascular readmissions.

RESULTS

At 2-year and 5-year follow-up, socially vulnerable patients receiving expanded CR participated significantly more in annual chronic care consultations (p=0.02 and p<0.01) but at 10-year follow-up, there were no significant differences in annual chronic care consultations (p=0.13). At 10-year follow-up, socially vulnerable patients receiving standard CR had significantly more contacts to general practice (p=0.03). At 10-year follow-up, there were no significant differences in the proportion of socially vulnerable patients receiving expanded CR in the mean number of all-cause hospitalisations and cardiovascular readmissions (p>0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

The present study found no persistent association between the socially differentiated CR intervention and use of healthcare services in general practice and hospital in patients admitted with first-episode MI during a 10-year follow-up.