Family presence and participation during medical visits of heart failure patients: An analysis of survey and audiotaped communication data.

Objective: To describe the frequency, roles, and utility of family companion involvement in the care of patients with Heart Failure (HF) care and to examine the association between audiotaped patient, companion, and provider communication behaviors.

Methods: We collected survey data and audiotaped a single medical visit for 93 HF patients (36 brought a companion into the examination room) and their cardiology provider. Communication data was analyzed using the Roter Interaction Analysis System.

Functional capacity in men and women following cardiac rehabilitation.

Purpose: Cardiac rehabilitation (CR) has been shown to generally increase functional capacity and lower cardiovascular morbidity in patients with ischemic heart disease. The effectiveness of CR in female participants, however, is unclear. We thus examined whether improvement in functional capacity after CR differs between men and women with ischemic heart disease.