Journal of cardiopulmonary rehabilitation
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J Cardiopulm Rehabil · Nov 2000
Distribution of muscle weakness in patients with stable chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
The authors determined the degree of respiratory and peripheral muscle weakness in patients with moderate to severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Differences in severity of muscle weakness among muscle groups may provide treatment options, such as selective muscle training, to adapt the exercise prescription in pulmonary rehabilitation programs. In addition, this information may add to the knowledge on the mechanisms of muscle weakness. ⋯ Muscle weakness in stable COPD patients does not affect all muscles to a similar extent. Inspiratory muscle force is affected more than peripheral muscle force, whereas proximal upper limb muscle strength was impaired more than distal upper limb muscle strength.
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J Cardiopulm Rehabil · Nov 2000
Advance directives in cardiac and pulmonary rehabilitation patients.
Advance directives have been available in parts of the United States for more than 20 years, but research shows that only a small percentage of adults (5-25%) have some form of written advance directive. The purose of this study was to examine the presence of advance directives among persons entering cardiac and pulmonary rehabilitation, and identify characteristics of persons most likely to have advance directives. ⋯ These results indicate that only a minority of cardiopulmonary rehabilitation patients have advance directives upon entry into the program, and that the prevalence differs among gender, racial, and age groups. Cardiac and pulmonary rehabilitation programs may be valuable sites for educating patients about advance directives and efforts by rehabilitation personnel may increase the prevalence of advance directives among patients.
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J Cardiopulm Rehabil · Nov 2000
Prescribing exercise for cardiac patients: knowledge, practices, and needs of family physicians and specialists.
To determine the following about prescribing exercise for cardiac patients: physicians' present and needed knowledge; their present practices; barriers that hinder them; and perceived need for and content of a protocol for prescribing exercise. ⋯ Family physicians perceive they know little about prescribing a specific exercise program for cardiac patients while specialists perceive they know little about motivating patients. Physicians rate highly the need for a protocol to help them prescribe exercise for cardiac patients.