Dedication This guideline is dedicated to our wonderful panel member, the late Helen Gaston. Helen was a special person, and her loss is inestimable. As a participant in cardiac rehabilitation services, Helen was a believer in the value of cardiac rehabilitation. She served as an inspiration to hundreds of patients involved in cardiac rehabilitation. Helen provided culturally sensitive insight as both an educator and a consumer of cardiac rehabilitation services. Her contributions to the development of this Clinical Practice Guideline, although tragically cut short, were of unique and invaluable benefit. Acknowledgments This Clinical Practice Guideline is the culmination of commitment, expertise, and concern on the part of many individuals. The panel appreciates the steadfast support and guidance provided by Carole Hudgings, PhD, RN, the AHCPR project officer for most of the guideline development, and by Ernestine W. Murray, RN, MAS, the subsequent project officer. George Sopko, MD, of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, provided invaluable clinical and administrative expertise, encouragement, and support to the panel throughout the deliberation and decisionmaking process. The methodologist for this guideline, Steven H. Woolf, MD, MPH, educated the panel in the essentials of guideline development. His knowledge was essential in establishing the guideline process during the project's first year. The panel also acknowledges the understanding and support of Pat Comoss, RN, who served as liaison on behalf of the American Association of Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Rehabilitation. She carried out her demanding responsibilities with exceptional patience, grace, and understanding. The invaluable role of the peer reviewers is also acknowledged. Their clear and detailed critical review of the guideline document, on two separate occasions, greatly enhanced the final product. The panel is particularly grateful to the untiring dedication of the project office staff: Dorothy B. Seidman, Julie Piech, and Mariette Chagnon, MS. Panel Members Nanette Kass Wenger, MD Panel Co-Chair Professor of Medicine (Cardiology) Medicine Erika Sivarajan Froelicher, Panel Co-Chair Department of Physiological Nursing Professor Biostatistics San Francisco Philip A. Ades, MD Director, Cardiac Rehabilitation Associate Professor University of Vermont College of Medicine Burlington, Vermont Cardiologist Kathy Berra, BSNa Clinical Trials Director Disease Prevention Subcommittee Chairs. James A. Blumenthal, PhDa Director, Behavioral Medicine Program Center for Living Duke University Medical Center Durham, North Carolina Clinical Psychologist Catherine M. E. Certo, ScD, PT Associate Professor Boston University Sargent College of Allied Health Professions Physiologist Anne M. Dattilo, PhD, RD Assistant Professor Dwight Davis, MD Director, Cardiac Rehabilitation Program Center Robert F. DeBusk, MDa Professor of Medicine Medicine Joseph P. Drozda, Jr., MD Chief of Cardiology and Medical Director of the Cardiac Rehabilitation Program Barbara J. Fletcher, RN, MN Director of Research Program Barry A. Franklin, PhDa Director, Cardiac Rehabilitation and Exercise Laboratories William Beaumont Hospital Royal Oak, Michigan Exercise Physiologist Helen Gaston (deceased) Tempe, Arizona Philip Greenland, MDa Harry W. Dingman Professor of Cardiology Chair, Department of Preventive Medicine Northwestern University Medical School Chicago, Illinois Cardiologist Patrick E. McBride, MD, MPH Associate Professor Department of Family Medicine and Medicine-Cardiology University of Wisconsin-Madison Madison, Wisconsin Family Physician Christopher G. A. McGregor, MB, Mayo Clinic Neil B. Oldridge, PhDa Professor of Health Sciences Joseph C. Piscatella President Institute for Fitness and Health, Inc. Felix J. Rogers, DO Downriver Cardiology Consultants Subcommittee Chairs. Consultants Project Staff William Johnson, PhD Professor of Health Economics and Policy Jennie J. Kronenfeld, PhD Professor School of Health Administration and Policy Steven H. Woolf, MD, MPH Assistant Clinical Professor Department of Family Practice Medical College of Virginia Fairfax, Virginia Methodologist L. Kent Smith, MD, MPH Director, Cardiac Rehabilitation Dorothy B. Seidman Project Headquarters Mariette Chagnon, MS Project Headquarters Pat Comoss, RN Chair AACVPR Project Oversight Committee Rehabilitation Julie Piech Project Headquarters Phoenix, Arizona Project Assistant |