Article

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the predictors of total medical costs for first-ever
ischaemic stroke patients transferred to the rehabilitation ward from the acute
ward. PATIENTS: A total of 311 first-ever ischaemic stroke patients (mean age
68.9 (standard deviation (SD) 12.2) years). METHODS: Data, including common
complications and medical events, from July 2002 to June 2012 were collected
retrospectively from a regional hospital in Taiwan in order to study the
potential predictors for medical costs. Significant variables from univariate
analysis were included in a stepwise multivariate linear regression analysis.
RESULTS: The mean total medical cost per patient was USD 4,606.80 (SD 2,926.10).
The significant predictors for cost were days of total stay (coefficient: 70.3;
95% confidence interval (CI) = 56.4-84.3), impaired consciousness (coefficient:
1,031.3; 95% CI = 490.8-1,571.8), hypoalbuminaemia in the acute ward
(coefficient: 2,045.1; 95% CI = 1,054.6-3,035.7), fever (coefficient: 927.0; 95%
CI = 193.3-1,660.7), hypokalaemia (coefficient: 2,698.4; 95% CI = 660.5-4,736.4),
and hyponatraemia (coefficient: 1,123.3; 95% CI = 72.2-2,174.5) in the
rehabilitation ward (R2 = 0.416). CONCLUSION: These findings can help clinicians
to identify risk factors for total medical costs in these patients and reduce
costs by minimizing some complications (hypoalbuminaemia, fever, hypokalaemia,
and hyponatraemia).

Langue : ANGLAIS