Long-Term Prognosis Following Early Rehabilitation in the ICU: A Retrospective Cohort Study

Critically ill patients often have residual functional disabilities. Studies have shown that early rehabilitation improves short-term physical function. However, it remains unknown whether early rehabilitation affects long-term prognosis and healthcare resource utilization.

Retrospective cohort study.

This study used an administrative claims database in Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan, from April 2012 to February 2017.

We identified patients who were admitted to the ICU and received rehabilitation. Eligible patients were divided into those who underwent rehabilitation within 3 days (early rehabilitation group) and after 4 or more days of ICU admission (delayed rehabilitation group). Propensity score matching analyses were conducted to compare the number of outpatient consultations within 1 year and 3 years after discharge from the index hospitalization, total duration of hospitalization after discharge, healthcare costs, and survival.

None.

A total of 6,679 patients were included in the study. Propensity score matching created 2,245 pairs. No difference was observed in the number of outpatient consultations 1 year after discharge, although there were differences between the groups 3 years after discharge. Long-term observation revealed a shorter overall duration of hospitalization (1.9 vs 2.6 mo; p < 0.001) and lower total costs ($28,159 vs $38,272; p < 0.001), as well as lower average costs per month ($1,690 vs $1,959; p = 0.001) in the early compared with the delayed rehabilitation group. No differences in survival were observed (log-rank test; p = 0.18).

Starting rehabilitation within 3 days of ICU admission was associated with shorter durations of future hospitalization and lower healthcare costs. Early rehabilitation for ICU patients might be associated with reduced healthcare resource utilization.