At what phase of cardiac rehab is best to teach the patient monitor their Vital signs? Is it at Phase II or Phase III?

Cardiac rehabilitation (or cardiac rehab) is a specialized intervention for patients who have had a myocardial infarction (or heart attack). Cardiac rehabilitation (CR) is a multidisciplinary approach and starts in the hospital and extends indefinitely into the  maintenance phase.

CR Phase I takes place in the hospital and includes interventions such as patient education about life changes, encouraging the patient’s family to provide positive family support, teaching the patient bed mobility skills, the use of ankle pumps exercises to prevent deep vein thrombosis, how to transfer with assistance and gait training etc.

CR Phase II takes place in outpatient settings. Interventions include patient education for self-monitoring of vital signs, activities of daily living (ADLs), upper body therapeutic exercises, treadmill activities and stationary bicycle riding.

CR Phase III commences when the patient is discharged from outpatient programs but continues in  a community-based program or voluntary program of the patient’s choosing. In this phase, the patient continues a fitness program in the community or at home.

Therefore self-monitoring of vital signs is taught during phase II of cardiac rehabilitation.

Reference 1: Olga Dreeben. Introduction to Physical Therapy for Physical Therapist Assistants. 2007. Jones and Bartlett publishers. Chapter 4, Cardiopulmonary Physical Therapy – Assessment and Interventions. Cardiopulmonary Interventions – Phases of Cardiac Rehabilitation. Pg 92.