Cardiopulmonary rehabilitation among patients with heart and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in a hospital in Tirana

It is a well-known factor that the implementation of cardiopulmonary rehabilitation leads to a decrease in the number of deaths and morbidity, however, this method is not widely used in Albania. One of the possible factors of low demand is the ignorance of patients regarding the benefits and effectiveness of this method. The purpose of this study is to find out the level of awareness of patients with cardiopulmonary diseases. During the study, a cross-sectional survey method was used among patients with this disease. Interest in and use of this rehabilitation was assessed using questionnaires that were given to 690 patients who underwent a course of treatment in university clinics and research hospitals that provide cardiopulmonary resuscitation services. The results of the study show that a third of patients learned information about cardiopulmonary rehabilitation (CPR) from medical personnel, and the other part received it from doctors. Despite the fact that almost half of the patients knew that they should perform certain physical activities and exercises to maintain their positive dynamics in relation to cardiopulmonary disease, only one third of the patients understood that such everyday activities as climbing stairs and a brisk walk down the street do not constitute threats to their heart and lungs, respectively. It was also found that a significant part of the patients regularly played sports. Certain types of exercises were offered to one half of the patients, at that time, the rest of them performed various exercises. 69% of all patients who were given detailed information about CPR were ready to participate in this program. Despite the fact, that numerous people were ready to undergo this method of rehabilitation, not all of them were sufficiently knowledgeable and did not fully understand the essence of this technique. Also, an important factor in the positive dynamics of the patient's recovery is his relationship with the doctor and medical personnel involved in the treatment of patients with cardiopulmonary diseases.