AIM: There is no study in intensive rehabilitation compared with conventional ones and economic health evaluation in early rehabilitation to the stroke patients in China. We did it to the early rehabilitation on the patients with stroke and observed whether early intensive rehabilitation was able to shorten the length of hospital stay and reduce the medical costs in stroke patients. METHODS: The patients were allocated randomly to intensive rehabilitation and conventional group. We did the economic health evaluation using cost-effectiveness analysis. RESULTS: The neurological deficit scores were reduced 1 point, total activity ability and ADL scores were improved 1 point, the costs were 1,267.8, 6,508.0 and 411.0 Yuan RMB prospectively in stroke patients whom were given earlier intensive rehabilitation; the controlled group were 1,875.4, 1,0462.4 and 2,422.1 Yuan RMB. But the length of hospital stay and medical costs had no significant difference in the two groups. CONCLUSION: Early intensive rehabilitation services were more effective in reducing the stroke patients neurological deficit and improving the ADL scores in comparison with the general rehabilitation. The cost-effectiveness analysis showed that early intensive rehabilitation is more economic.

Full text (sometimes free) may be available at these link(s):      help

• PDF locator
• publisher