Cardiac Rehabilitation for Persons with Stroke: A Cost-Effectiveness Analysis

Area of Science:

• Health Economics
• Neurology
• Rehabilitation Medicine

Background:

• Stroke is a leading cause of disability worldwide.
• Cardiac rehabilitation programs are established for cardiovascular disease but less studied for stroke recovery.
• Cost-effectiveness of interventions is crucial for healthcare resource allocation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the cost-effectiveness of a cardiac rehabilitation program for stroke survivors.
• To compare the economic and clinical outcomes of cardiac rehabilitation versus customary care in this population.

Main Methods:

• A 30-year Markov model was utilized to simulate outcomes.
• Health states were defined by modified Rankin Scale scores.
• Quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) and incremental cost-effectiveness ratios (ICERs) were calculated.

Main Results:

• Cardiac rehabilitation demonstrated superior effectiveness, yielding an additional 3.28 QALYs.
• The incremental cost was $5704, resulting in an ICER of $1740/QALY.
• Sensitivity analyses confirmed cardiac rehabilitation as the optimal strategy.

Conclusions:

• Cardiac rehabilitation is a clinically beneficial and cost-effective intervention for stroke patients.
• This study supports the integration of cardiac rehabilitation into stroke care pathways.
• The findings provide economic justification for cardiac rehabilitation in the stroke population.