Tehran University of Medical Sciences Iranian Journal of Public Health 2251-6085 47 7 2018 07 16 1007 1016 Hong-Rong YANG Dept. of Science, Shanghai General Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China Lei MA Dept. of Science, Shanghai General Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China Yi-Feng JIANG Dept. of Science, Shanghai General Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China Yun-Cheng WU Dept. of Neurology, Shanghai General Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China Eugene C. LAI Houston Methodist Neurological Institute, Houston, Texas, USA Yan-Hong ZHU Dept. of Science, Shanghai General Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China AND Health Economic Research Institute, Shanghai Jiao Tong University National Institute Hospital Development, Shanghai, China .AND School of Public Health, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China 2018 07 16 2018 07 16 Background: This study aimed to examine the effect of disease management program (DMP) on the patients with first-time ischemic stroke (IS). Methods: A DMP with 4 parts of performance indicators (PIs, including outpatient, emergency department, inpatient and follow-up treatment) was implemented in patients with stroke in 2 hospitals (Hospital T and R) in Shanghai China from 2007-2010. The effect of DMP on the outcome of IS patients was analyzed according to the criteria of the National Institute of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS). Furthermore, the total effective rate of DMP, average length of stay, hospitalization cost, and cost-effectiveness ratio (CER) between DMP and non-DMP patients were calculated, followed by the cost-effectiveness analysis. Results: The total effective rate of DMP (T: 69.9%; R: 76.6%) was significantly (P<0.05) higher than that of non-DMP (T: 60.8%; R: 62.7%) group in the same hospital. In addition, a significant (P<0.05) difference in effective rate was observed between DMP and non-DMP at the NIHSS score ≥ 7. Furthermore, the average length of stay and hospitalization cost of the patients in DMP group were significantly (P<0.05) lower than those in non-DMP group. A superior CER was also found in DMP group than non-DMP group. Conclusion: The implementation of DMP for IS can effectively improve the treatment outcome and reduce the average length of stay and hospitalization cost.   https://ijph.tums.ac.ir/index.php/ijph/article/view/14048 https://ijph.tums.ac.ir/index.php/ijph/article/download/14048/6043