Effects of cardiac rehabilitation on improving exercise capacity and reducing healthcare costs

2023 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 18K17715
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Early-Career Scientists
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Review Section: Basic Section 59010:Rehabilitation science-related
• Research Institution: Shinshu University
• Principal Investigator: Yamamoto Shuhei 信州大学, 医学部附属病院, 理学療法士 (10784481)
• Project Period (FY): 2018-04-01 – 2024-03-31
• Keywords: リハビリテーション / 心臓 / 運動機能 / 医療費 / 予防

Outline of Final Research Achievements

The purpose of this study was to clarify the relationship between cardiac rehabilitation in patients with heart disease and the resulting reduction in health care costs.
Patients were included who were prescribed cardiac rehabilitation after discharge from hospital, who had received outpatient cardiac rehabilitation for at least 3 months, and whose exercise capacity could be measured. The 6-minute walk test (6MD) was assessed at 3-5 months to calculate the amount of change, and patients were divided into two groups, 6MD improvement group and no improvement group.
As a result, for the main outcome, medical costs, no significant difference was found between the two groups for cardiovascular treatment costs, while all treatment costs were significantly lower in the high-improvement group than in the low-improvement group. The results of this study suggest that it is possible to reduce medical costs by improving exercise capacity.

Free Research Field

リハビリテーション

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

先行研究によると、心疾患患者に対する心臓リハビリテーションはリハビリテーションを導入しない集団と比較して医療費抑制効果があると報告されているが、①先行研究の大半は海外のデータであり本邦のデータは皆無であること、②リハビリテーションを導入した者を対象に運動機能の改善が医療費削減効果に繋がるか不明であること、が課題であった。そこで、本研究では心臓リハビリテーションを導入している患者を対象に、運動機能が改善した者と改善しなかった者に分けて解析を行った。その結果、リハビリによって運動機能が改善した者は改善しなかった者と比較して、循環器医療費は差が無かったものの、全医療費は少ないことが明らかとなった。