Postbreast cancer surgery outpatient rehabilitation program: Analysis of clinical profile, impact, and direct medical costs

• Published in: Journal of the International Society of Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine Vol. 2; no. 1; pp. 22 - 29
• Main Authors: de Sousa, Marina, Bueno, Camila, Mendoza Lopez, Rossana, de Almeida, Elisângela, Cecatto, Rebeca, de Brito, Christina
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Wolters Kluwer India Pvt. Ltd 01.01.2019; Wolters Kluwer Health - Lippincott Williams Wilkins
• Subjects: breast neoplasms; hospital costs; rehabilitation result; hospital costs; rehabilitation result; Breast neoplasms
• ISSN: 2349-7904; 2589-9457; 2589-9457
• DOI: 10.4103/jisprm.jisprm_17_18

Context: Approximately 600,000 new cases of cancer are estimated to occur in Brazil over the 2-year period of 2018-2019, and the world economic impact of cancer was $895 billion dollars in 2008. Aims: To perform an analysis contemplating the clinical profile, impact, and direct medical costs of an outpatient rehabilitation program for patients who have undergone breast cancer surgery. Settings and Design: A partial economic analysis was performed from the perspective of a Brazilian public hospital. Subjects and Methods: An observational study was conducted using data from a retrospective cohort of patients who had undergone breast cancer surgery. These patients had their first rehabilitation appointment between August 2015 and July 2016. Statistical Analysis Used: Pearson's Chi-square test or Fisher's exact test, Student's t-test, Fisher's F-test analysis of variance, or the nonparametric Kruskal-Wallis test. Post hoc tests were conducted to check for differences between the pairs of categories. The nonparametric Kolmogorov-Smirnov test evaluated the data normality. All hypothesis testing used a significance level of 5%. Results: A total of 132 patients underwent the referred rehabilitation program. The goal of total rehabilitation was achieved in approximately 70% of cases. There was improvement in patients' quality of life in most Short-Form Health Survey-36 dimensions. The program's direct cost had an overall median per patient of R$ 7235.32. Conclusions: The study found good results in the indicators of clinical outcome and quality of life. The costs were reported from a partial evaluation point of view and may contribute to future full evaluations.