10 Screening for anxiety and depression in cardiac rehabilitation prior to and during COVID-19 – an observational study. (21st November 2022) - Helmark, Charlotte
Abstract : Background: Anxiety and depression are prevalent in 20% of cardiac patients and associated with poor health outcomes, therefore guidelines recommend screening for these conditions in cardiac rehabilitation (CR). However, routine screening in CR is under administered, and it is unknown if this practice has been further impacted during the COVID-19 pandemic. Aim: To investigate screening practice and analyse factors associated with screening for anxiety and depression in CR during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: Observational data from the National Audit of Cardiac Rehabilitation (NACR) from April 2018 to March 2022 were used. Screening practice was analysed using descriptive statistics. A multivariate logistic regression model was conducted to analyse associations with screening for anxiety and depression. Sensitivity analyses were performed on sociodemographic to identify significant shifts in the population happening across the included years. Results: The study population consisted of 245, 705 patients where 128, 643 (52.4%) were screened for anxiety and depression ( figure 1 ). Patients were less likely to be screened in the period April 2020-March 2021 compared to the previous years with an odds-ratio of 0.40 (CI 0.38-0.43, p<0.001). The following year showed an odds-ratio of 0.58 (CI 0.55-0.61, p<0.001). Furthermore, being female, living alone, non-white ethnicity, living in deprived areas, current smoking and low level of physical activity were negatively associated with screening while revascularisation, functional capacity testing and CR certification were positively associated with screening. Regarding comorbidities, history of anxiety, depression, angina pectoris, arthritis, rheumatism, osteoporosis, and chronic back pain were positively associated with screening, while diabetes, hyperlipidaemia, stroke, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease were negatively associated with screening. Conclusion: We found a substantial drop in screening for anxiety and depression in CR during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. Screening practice seems to be improving in the following year but is still far from pre-COVID-19. Please submit this entire document via email to education@bacpr.com The document should be saved as the surname and initial of the lead author followed by the submission data in the following format: SURNAME INITIAL DAY MONTH YEAR For example: Smith T 01 05 2022 (Deadline: midday, Date: Monday 11th July, 2022)