Clinical medicine (London, England)
-
Rehabilitation following acquired brain injury improves health outcomes, reduces disability, and improves quality of life. We assessed the cost effectiveness of inpatient rehabilitation after brain injury in individuals with brain injury admitted to the Irish national tertiary specialist rehabilitation centre in 2011. Patients' score on the Disability Rating Scale (DRS) was recorded on admission and at discharge after intensive inpatient rehabilitation. ⋯ DRS scores, and therefore average levels of functioning, differed significantly at admission (2.3, between mildly and moderately dependent) and discharge (1.1, independent in special environments, p<0.01). Average weekly care costs fell from €629 to €242, with costs recouped within 30 months. Thus, substantial savings result from inpatient rehabilitation, and these savings could have been greater had we considered also the economic benefit of enabling patients to return to employment.