Relationships between psychoeducational rehabilitation and health outcomes—a systematic review focused on acute coronary syndrome

Abstract

(1) Background: Cardiac rehabilitation is a multidisciplinary program that includes psychoeducational support in addition to physical exercise. Psychoeducational intervention is a component that has had accelerated interest and development in recent decades. The aim was to analyze the current evidence on the effectiveness of psychoeducational interventions for patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS). (2) Methods: We conducted a systematic search of the literature via four databases: PubMed, CENTRAL, PsycINFO, and EMBASE. We included randomized controlled trials that evaluated the effectiveness of a psychoeducational intervention compared to usual care in ACS patients. We assessed the risk of bias using a modified version of the Cochrane tool. We analyzed data regarding the population, intervention, comparator, outcomes, and timing. (3) Results: We identified 6248 studies. After a rigorous screening, we included in the analysis 11 articles with a total of 3090 participants. Major adverse cardiovascular events, quality of life, hospitalizations, lipidogram, creatinine, NYHA class, smoking, physical behavior, and emotional state were significantly improved. In addition, illness perception, knowledge, and beliefs were substantially ameliorated (all p < 0.001). All this was related to the type and dose of psychological intervention. (4) Conclusions: Patients with ACS can receive significant benefits through individualized psychoeducation sessions. The cardiac rehabilitation program should include personalized psychological and educational intervention by type and dose.