title: What reductions in dependency costs result from treatment in an inpatient neurological rehabilitation unit for people with stroke?
abstract: This paper examines the reductions in care costs that result from inpatient multidisciplinary rehabilitation for younger people with acquired brain injury. Thirty-five consecutive patients admitted following a stroke over one year were recruited to this observational study. Physical ability, dependency and potential community care costs were measured on admission and discharge. Fifty-one community-dwelling patients were transferred to rehabilitation from acute medical wards in a large teaching hospital; 35 met the inclusion criteria. After a median of 59 days of rehabilitation, 29 patients were discharged home and six to nursing homes. Patients made highly significant gains in physical ability (median Barthel index 50 to 64; p < 0.001). Dependency decreased; median calculated costs for care were reduced from pounds 1900 to pounds 1100 per week, a saving of pounds 868 per week. Total annualised care costs reduced from pounds 3,358,056 to pounds 1,807,208, a potential saving of pounds 1,550,848. The median time to repay rehabilitation costs was 21 weeks. Savings occurred in those with moderate and severe disability and they have the potential to continue to accrue for over 12 years. Similar results will probably be found for rehabilitation in other forms of acquired brain injury.
authors.affiliation: Academic Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, University of Leeds, UK. R.J.OConnor@leeds.ac.uk
authors.forename: Rory J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: O'Connor
authors.forename: Rushdy
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Beden
authors.forename: Andrew
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Pilling
authors.forename: M Anne
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Chamberlain
mesh_terms: D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D003362:Cost-Benefit Analysis; D003858:Dependency, Psychological; D005260:Female; D017048:Health Care Costs; D006784:Hospitals, Teaching / Q000191:economics*; D006801:Humans; D007297:Inpatients; D007902:Length of Stay / Q000191:economics*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care; D010351:Patient Discharge / Q000191:economics*; D020521:Stroke / Q000191:economics; D000071939:Stroke Rehabilitation