The impact of poststroke depression on healthcare use by veterans with acute stroke.
OBJECTIVE
Poststroke depression (PSD) is common among stroke survivors, and it is associated with worse functional outcomes and increased poststroke mortality. Limited information is available about its impact on healthcare use. This study assessed the impact of PSD on healthcare use by veterans with acute stroke.


METHODS
In this retrospective, observational national study, 5825 veterans with acute stroke were identified from Veterans Affairs' (VA) inpatient databases. To determine the patients' comprehensive PSD and use status, VA and Medicare fee-for-service inpatient and outpatient as well as VA pharmacy data were used. PSD was established if a patient had an inpatient or outpatient depression diagnosis or if a patient received one of the antidepressants within the VA 12 months postindex stroke. Healthcare use referred to the number of hospital stays, outpatient visits, and cumulative length of inpatient stays under both VA and Medicare fee-for-service programs. Poisson regression was fitted to estimate the impact of PSD on use controlling for sociodemographic, clinical, and disease severity factors.


RESULTS
Forty-one percent of the sample had PSD. After adjusting for patient demographic and clinical factors, we found that the patients with stroke with PSD had significantly (P<0.0001) more hospitalizations, outpatient visits, and longer length of stays 12 months poststroke compared with these patients with stroke without PSD.


CONCLUSIONS
Patients with PSD had greater 12-month poststroke healthcare use even when controlling for other demographic and clinical variables. Early detection and appropriate management of PSD for veterans with acute stroke may help reduce their poststroke healthcare use.
Jia
Huanguang
H
VA Stroke QUERI Research Coordinating Center, Gainesville, Florida, USA. Jia@med.va.gov
Damush
Teresa M
TM
Qin
Haijing
H
Ried
L Douglas
LD
Wang
Xinping
X
Young
Linda J
LJ
Williams
Linda S
LS
D000208:Acute Disease; D000368:Aged; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003695:Delivery of Health Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D003863:Depression / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006760:Hospitalization; D006787:Hospitals, Veterans; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D020521:Stroke / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D014728:Veterans