Quality of Life and the Nursing Approach in Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation: Traditional Review

Abstract

Cardiac and pulmonary rehabilitation programs play a crucial role in improving the quality of life of individuals with cardiovascular and respiratory diseases. Cardiopulmonary rehabilitation is a comprehensive intervention that reduces cardiovascular risks, alleviates the physical and psychological effects of disease, prevents secondary cardiac events, and decreases symptoms such as dyspnea and fatigue. Moreover, it enhances exercise capacity, facilitates the return to an active lifestyle, stabilizes or reverses systemic manifestations of the disease, thereby improving quality of life and reducing healthcare costs. Nurses play a central role in promoting and maintaining health, identifying risk factors at an early stage, and providing patient education throughout the rehabilitation process. As key members of the multidisciplinary team, nurses collaborate with physicians, physiotherapists, clinical exercise physiologists, dietitians, and psychologists to ensure coordinated and patient-centered care, contributing significantly to patients’ overall recovery and well-being. Interventions that enhance the effectiveness of cardiopulmonary rehabilitation and improve patients’ quality of life include smoking cessation, physical activity promotion, nutritional and weight management, blood pressure and diabetes control, psychosocial support, sexual health counseling, return-to-work facilitation, adherence to medical therapy, airway clearance strategies, and cognitive-behavioral therapies. Increasing patient participation in rehabilitation programs and ensuring continuity of care should be considered primary goals for achieving optimal outcomes in cardiopulmonary rehabilitation.