| High recurrence of cardiovascular events necessitates continued secondary prevention efforts, such as cardiac rehabilitation (CR) participation and long-term follow-up care from a primary care physician.; A mixed methods approach was used to (a) identify and describe information being transferred from CR programs to primary care physicians in discharge summaries, and (b) assess the utility of such information from the perspective of the primary care physician.; For each of 21 Ontario CR sites to which patients from a larger study were referred, primary care physicians were contacted to request a copy of the CR discharge summary received and participation in a telephone interview. Discharge data were coded and enumerated. Qualitative data from 17 interviews were transcribed and coded based on grounded analyses.; Of the 89 primary care physicians approached, 50 participated, 31 refused and eight were ineligible (response rate = 61.7%). Twenty-one (42.0%) received the discharge summary from the CR site. There was great variability in clinical and service data reported, with 52.0% reporting an exercise prescription for the home/community, 44.0% reporting symptoms on exertion, and 42.0% reporting current medications. Four themes requiring improvement were generated from the physician interviews: patient clinical management issues, health system factors, efficiency of data transfer, and communication issues. An in-depth analysis of interview data and schematic representation of coding are presented.; Major inconsistencies were noted between clinical data communicated versus what was desired. Data related to attendance rates, behavioural management suggestions, and lipid values were among the most notable omissions. Suggestions for future research are discussed. |
