The Impact of Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation on Quality of Life

The devastating effects of cardiovascular disease are evident at a global and national level. Heart disease is the leading cause of mortality for both men and women, furthermore, heart disease is the number one cause of mortality for most ethnicities in the United States. Pulmonary disease also has an adverse impact on society. Pulmonary disease is one of the leading causes of disability and death worldwide. In an effort to increase the awareness of the effectiveness of cardiopulmonary rehabilitation clinics, this doctoral project conducted a program evaluation on a cardiopulmonary rehabilitation program (CRP) in Stuart, Florida. The purpose was achieved by using the CDC program evaluation guideline. The intention of this paper was to determine if health related quality of life is positively influenced by participation in this CRP. Included will be an analysis of the results, an evaluation of the proposed project, plans for dissemination, and recommendations to increase the effectiveness of the CRP.