Psychosocial Screening and Assessment Practice within Cardiac Rehabilitation: A Survey of Cardiac Rehabilitation Coordinators in Australia.

BACKGROUND: Many cardiac rehabilitation (CR) guidelines and position statements recommend screening for psychosocial risk factors, although there is wide variation in the recommended factors and recommended screening tools. Little is known about screening in CR in Australia.

METHODS: Cardiac rehabilitation coordinators at the 314 CR programs operating across Australia, drawn from the 2014 Australian Directory of Cardiac Rehabilitation Services were invited to participate in an online survey.

RESULTS: Of 165 complete responses, 157 (95%) CR coordinators indicated that they screened at entry with 132 (80%) screening on exit. At CR entry, programs screened for - depression (83%), anxiety (75%), stress (75%), and sleep disturbance (57%). The use of standardised instruments by those screening at entry varied from 89% for depression to only 9% for sleep disturbance. Organisational, resource and personal barriers inhibited the routine screening for many psychosocial factors.

CONCLUSIONS: Surveys such as this are useful for monitoring the rate of adoption of guideline recommendations and identifying barriers to implementation. Findings can also inform discussions about what should be included in minimum data sets for CR programs, and the identification of brief screening tools that have been validated not just in the general population but in cardiac patients.