Research presented at the International Stroke Conference 2022 supports the Mobile Stroke Unit (MSU) as a cost-effective stroke treatment.

Suja S Rajan, PhD, associate professor, Management, Policy & Community Health, University of Texas School of Public Health, Dallas, and co-researchers aimed to prove “if outcome improvements associated with MSUs justify [an] increase in costs, thereby making MSUs cost effective, or if the outcome improvements lead to follow-up cost reductions thereby making MSUs cost-saving.”

This was the first study that provided an economic evaluation using 1-year follow-up data on the cost-effectiveness of MSUs.

Dr Rajan et al estimated patient cost information using resource utilization forms and converted them to costs based on Medicare’s perspective in this observational, prospective, multicenter, alternating-week trial. Quality-adjusted life-years determined using EuroQol- 5 Dimension (EQ5D) surveys were the primary effectiveness outcome.

Researchers hypothesized that the MUSU is cost-effective and could be cost saving because patients treated in MSUs had lower utilizations after discharge when compared with patients receiving standard management.

“MSU utilization showed better quality of life at discharge compared with standard management and was cost-effective. Cost-effectiveness of the MSUs is dependent on [the] number of patients treated per year,” Section Editor Amrou Sarraj, MD, shared with Neurology Learning Network following the presentation.

As part of Neurology Learning Network’s International Stroke Conference coverage, more comprehensive details on this topic are forthcoming. Keep up with the coverage in our newsroom.

Rajan, S. Economic evaluation of the benefits of stroke treatment delivered using a mobile stroke unit study. Presented at: International Stroke Conference 2022; February  9-1, 2022; Virtual.