2. Self-Monitoring Skills A unique component of the education of the coronary patient is the development of self-monitoring skills for use during therapeutic exercise and in daily life. These self-monitoring skills include the awareness and assessment of angina, arrhythmias, medications, and response to therapeutic exercise. There has been repeated affirmation that participants in coronary rehabilitation programs can learn techniques of self-monitoring. Through these self-monitoring techniques, patients know when to contact the health care system. Self-efficacy, or ability of an individual to believe that he or she can master an agreed upon or identified behavior, is important in coronary rehabilitation. A patient’s ability to self-monitor and appropriately intervene will be influenced by personal experiences in the rehabilitation program, by verbal persuasion by the rehabilitation staff, and by knowledge of his or her physiologic data. “Self-monitoring skills” are a fundamental component to enhance the self-efficacy of coronary patients.