http://www.clinmed.rcpjournal.org/content/16/2/109.abstract
- Marie Therese CooneyA, consultant physician in geriatric medicine and
- Áine CarrollB⇑, consultant in rehabilitation medicine
+ Author Affiliations
- Address for correspondence: Dr A Carroll, National Rehabilitation Hospital, Rochestown Ave, Dún Laoghaire, Co Dublin, Ireland. Email: mtc@outlook.ie
ABSTRACT
Rehabilitation following acquired brain
injury improves health outcomes, reduces disability, and improves
quality of life.
We assessed the cost effectiveness of inpatient
rehabilitation after brain injury in individuals with brain injury
admitted
to the Irish national tertiary specialist
rehabilitation centre in 2011. Patients’ score on the Disability Rating
Scale (DRS)
was recorded on admission and at discharge after
intensive inpatient rehabilitation. Cost savings attributed to the
rehabilitation
programme were calculated as the difference between
direct care costs on admission and discharge. Direct costs of care were
calculated as the weekly cost of the care-assistant
hours required to care for patients on the basis of their level of
disability
or daily nursing-home bed cost when this was
required. Of 63 patients, complete DRS information for admission and
discharge
was available for 41. DRS scores, and therefore
average levels of functioning, differed significantly at admission (2.3,
between
mildly and moderately dependent) and discharge
(1.1, independent in special environments, p<0.01). Average weekly
care costs
fell from €629 to €242, with costs recouped within
30 months. Thus, substantial savings result from inpatient
rehabilitation,
and these savings could have been greater had we
considered also the economic benefit of enabling patients to return to
employment.
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