The social and economic costs of stroke in New Zealand

Abstract

The burden of stroke is an important concept to understand because it had a direct bearing on the level of effort warranted to address the problem. Research, funding for which is often motivated by a sense of “the size of the prize”, may identify opportunities and interventions to reduce the burden of stroke. Evidence suggests that optimal management of stroke can significantly improve both short-term and long-term outcomes. Strokes are largely preventable, and some progress has been made in reducing key risk factors (such as smoking). Some reduction in the impact of stroke has been achieved in New Zealand in recent years (see section 2.3.1) due mainly to a reduction in mortality from stroke and only in small part to a reduction in the incidence of stroke. With more and more people surviving strokes however, the prevalence of stroke-related disability is expected to increase (Tobias et al. 2007). In turn, this will increase the demand for stroke rehabilitation services as well as the potential total savings associated with optimising stroke rehabilitation as well as secondary stroke prevention. This trend is likely to be reinforced by population ageing.