Vocational reintegration is one of the major goals of cardiac rehabilitation. 70 % of blue-collar workers under 50 years of age resume their job after in-patient cardiac rehabilitation. 10 % are hindered to do so by cardiac problems. Specific measures exist that may facilitate work resumption. As these measures should be started as soon as possible there is a need for predictors of return to work which can be obtained easily and at an early stage. Subjects of this prospective study were 650 patients (10 % female) under 50 years of age who participated in an in-patient cardiac rehabilitation programme under the workers' pension insurance scheme. At the beginning of programme participation, problems in work resumption as expected by the patient and by his physician were obtained, as well as depression and anxiety scores (HADS-D). Physicians' and patients' expectations concerning problems in resuming work turn out to be significant predictors of the vocational situation of the male patients six months following medical rehabilitation. The depression score obtained at the outset of the programme is the only predictor of return to work in female patients.

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A set of questionnaires for the assessment (screening) of psychological and social problems in cardiac rehabilitation patients is analyzed for its psychometric properties. The test battery had before been consented by a task force of the German Association for the Prevention and Rehabilitation of Cardiovascular Disease, DGPR. It integrates generally approved and well-tried assessments for depression/anxiety, social isolation (vocational) stress, and subjective vocational disability. The questionnaire was administered to a convenience sample of 426 patients undergoing inpatient cardiac rehabilitation. Results on the psychometric properties, a comparison of the cardiac sample to the general population, as well as distributions of quartile ranges are reported. Also, a preliminary appraisal of the need for further assessment or treatment is made. The results confirm that the short test battery is suited for assessing psychological and social problems in cardiac rehabilitation patients.

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