Treatment Costs of Stroke Related to Nonvalvular Atrial Fibrillation Patients in India—A Multicenter Observational Study

Objective: The objective of this study was to quantify the direct medical and nonmedical costs of stroke among patients with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation in India. Methods: An observational, multicenter cost-of-illness study was conducted within large tertiary care hospitals across three metropolitan cities in India. Medical chart records of eligible patients who were hospitalized during the study period were reviewed. A standardized data collection form was designed and used to capture resources expended in the treatment and management of stroke during the inpatient stay. In addition, direct medical and nonmedical outpatient care resources and informal care burden were captured using a detailed questionnaire, following the patients’ discharge. Factors associated with acute care costs were investigated using multivariate linear regression analysis. Results: Data were collected on a total of 400 patients with incident strokes. Their mean age was 61.4 9.4 years. About 84% of the see front matter Copyright & 2014, International S