TIA Clinics Might Be More Cost-Effective Than Hospitalization

For patients with transient ischemic attack (TIA), early evaluation by a neurologist along with risk factor modification lowers the incidence of subsequent stroke. Recent studies suggest that admitting patients with TIA expedites evaluation by a neurologist and allows rapid access to fibrinolysis should acute stroke occur.

Using decision-tree analysis, these authors compared the cost-effectiveness of conventional inpatient TIA treatment (48-hour hospitalization) with urgent referral to an outpatient specialty TIA clinic. Compared with outpatient referral, hospitalization yielded an additional 0.00026 quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs) at 1 year at an incremental cost of US$5573 per patient. With an incremental cost-effectiveness ratio of $2…