How do you reconcile these two conflicting results?
did not improve stroke survivors' performance in extended activities of daily living but did improve their overall satisfaction with services. Your stroke team was excellent at getting you to accept the tyranny of low expectations but didn't deliver actual results? Not my idea of excellence.
An extended stroke rehabilitation service for people who have had a stroke: the EXTRAS RCT
Abstract
BACKGROUND:
There
is limited evidence about the effectiveness of rehabilitation in
meeting the longer-term needs of stroke patients and their carers.
OBJECTIVE:
To determine the clinical effectiveness and cost-effectiveness
of an extended stroke rehabilitation service (EXTRAS). DESIGN:A
pragmatic, observer-blind, parallel-group, multicentre randomised
controlled trial with embedded health economic and process evaluations.
Participants were randomised (1 : 1) to receive EXTRAS or usual care.
SETTING:Nineteen NHS study centres.
PARTICIPANTS:
PARTICIPANTS:
Patients with a new
stroke who received early supported discharge and their informal carers.
INTERVENTIONS:
INTERVENTIONS:
Five EXTRAS reviews provided by an early supported
discharge team member between 1 and 18 months post early supported
discharge, usually over the telephone. Reviewers assessed rehabilitation
needs, with goal-setting and action-planning. Control treatment was
usual care post early supported discharge.
MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES:
The
primary outcome was performance in extended activities of daily living
(Nottingham Extended Activities of Daily Living Scale) at 24 months post
randomisation. Secondary outcomes at 12 and 24 months included patient
mood (Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale), health status (Oxford
Handicap Scale), experience of services and adverse events. For carers,
secondary outcomes included carers' strain (Caregiver Strain Index) and
experience of services. Cost-effectiveness was estimated using resource
utilisation costs (adaptation of the Client Service Receipt Inventory)
and quality-adjusted life-years.
RESULTS:
A total of 573 patients
(EXTRAS, n = 285; usual care, n = 288) with 194 carers (EXTRAS, n = 103;
usual care, n = 91) were randomised. Mean 24-month Nottingham Extended
Activities of Daily Living Scale scores were 40.0 (standard deviation
18.1) for EXTRAS (n = 219) and 37.2 (standard deviation 18.5) for usual
care (n = 231), giving an adjusted mean difference of 1.8 (95%
confidence interval -0.7 to 4.2). The mean intervention group Hospital
Anxiety and Depression Scale scores were not significantly different at
12 and 24 months. The intervention did not improve patient health status
or carer strain. EXTRAS patients and carers reported greater
satisfaction with some aspects of care. The mean cost of resource
utilisation was lower in the intervention group: -£311 (95% confidence
interval -£3292 to £2787), with a 68% chance of EXTRAS being
cost-saving. EXTRAS was associated with 0.07 (95% confidence interval
0.01 to 0.12) additional quality-adjusted life-years. At current
conventional thresholds of willingness to pay for a quality-adjusted
life-year, there is a 90% chance that EXTRAS is cost-effective.
CONCLUSIONS:
EXTRAS did not improve stroke survivors' performance in
extended activities of daily living but did improve their overall
satisfaction with services. Given the impact on costs and
quality-adjusted life-years, there is a high chance that EXTRAS could be
considered cost-effective. FUTURE WORK:Further research is required to
identify whether or not community-based interventions can improve
performance of extended activities of daily living, and to understand
the improvements in health-related quality of life and costs seen by
provision of intermittent longer-term specialist review. TRIAL
REGISTRATION:Current Controlled Trials ISRCTN45203373. FUNDING:This
project was funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR)
Health Technology Assessment programme and will be published in full in
Health Technology Assessment; Vol. 24, No. 24. See the NIHR Journals
Library website for further project information.
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