Objective: This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to summarize and synthesize the available evidence in adult Chinese cardiac patients to determine the effect of education interventions on health behaviours, disease-related knowledge, self-efficacy, depressive symptoms, anxiety symptoms, health-related quality of life, morbidity, and mortality.
Methods: Seven databases were searched from database inception until January 2020 for randomized controlled trials. Characteristics of education interventions were described and random-effects meta-analysis was performed where feasible.
Results: Overall, 18 randomized controlled trials were included in this systematic review and suggested that education interventions are effective in improving patients' physical activity, dietary habits, medication behaviour, disease-related knowledge, and health-related quality of life. Meta-analysis of two studies demonstrated benefit on physical activity (standardized mean difference [SMD] 1.27, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.06-1.48; participants = 422; I2 = 0%), dietary habits (SMD 0.76, 95%CI 0.44-1.08; participants = 422; I2 = 61%), and medication behaviour (mean difference [MD] 0.31, 95%CI 0.17-0.46; participants = 422; I2 = 28%).
Conclusion: This study supports the benefits of education interventions for adult Chinese cardiac patients on health behaviours, disease-related knowledge, and health-related quality of life. Future studies should characterize their education interventions in detail to facilitate reproducibility and comparison.
Practice implications: This study identified the need for studies on the outcome of alcohol consumption and in Chinese immigrant populations.
Keywords: Attitudes; Cardiac rehabilitation; Coronary artery disease; Health behaviour; Health knowledge; Patient education as topic; Practice.
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