Home rehabilitation after stroke. Reviewing the scientific evidence on effects and costs

The question addressed here is whether home rehabilitation after stroke is better and/or less expensive than the more conventional alternatives, i.e., rehabilitation during inpatient care, day care, and outpatient visits--alone or in combinations appropriate to disease stage and patient needs. Home rehabilitation is managed by teams of professionals who train patients at home.

The scientific literature was systematically searched for controlled studies comparing outcomes and costs of home rehabilitation with the more conventional strategies.

The abstracts of 204 papers were evaluated, from which 89 were selected for greater scrutiny. From the 89 studies, we found 7 controlled studies involving 1,487 patients (6 of the 7 were randomized, 4 of the 6 assessed costs). No statistically significant differences, or tendencies toward differences, were revealed as regards the outcome of home rehabilitation versus hospital-based alternatives. Thus, home rehabilitation was neither better nor worse at improving patients' ability to manage on their own or resume social activities. Depression and reduced quality of life were common in all groups of patients and caregivers, irrespective of the rehabilitation strategy. In the four randomized studies that reported on costs, home rehabilitation was found to be less expensive than regular day care, but not less expensive than conventional strategies even though hospital stay was reduced.

The outcomes and costs of home rehabilitation after stroke seem to be comparable to alternative treatment strategies.