To estimate the healthcare costs associated with post-stroke dysphagia during acute hospitalisation and to identify factors influencing these costs in a tertiary hospital setting in Vietnam.

A cross-sectional study using clinical and billing data from hospital records.

The study was conducted at the Neurology Center of Bach Mai Hospital, a tertiary care facility in Hanoi, Vietnam, between June 2020 and January 2022.

A total of 951 patients aged ≥18 years with acute ischaemic stroke confirmed by CT or MRI were included. Dysphagia was assessed using the Gugging Swallowing Screen.

Direct healthcare costs during hospitalisation were collected from the hospital billing system and categorised as medications, diagnostic imaging, medical supplies, accommodation, food, procedures and laboratory tests. All costs were converted to USD. Associations between patient characteristics and total healthcare costs were analysed using generalised linear models (Gamma distribution with log link), applying robust standard errors.

The median treatment cost was 10.08 million VND (436.24 USD) in the dysphagia group vs 6.37 million VND (275.78 USD) in the non-dysphagia group. Costs increased with dysphagia severity, reaching 22.64 million VND (979.49 USD) among patients with severe dysphagia. In multivariate analysis, dysphagia was associated with a 21% increase in costs (exp(β) = 1.21; 95% CI 1.10 to 1.33; p14, pneumonia, prolonged hospitalisation and higher educational level.

Post-stroke dysphagia substantially increases acute hospitalisation costs in Vietnam. Early screening, standardised management and preventive care for complications may improve outcomes and reduce costs.

The study was registered on the Research Registry website (https://www.researchregistry.com/) under the unique identification number: researchregistry8203.

To determine the incidence of in-hospital postoperative mortality and validate the Preoperative Score to Predict Postoperative Mortality (POSPOM).

Retrospective case–control study.

A tertiary university hospital in Thailand.

All patients who underwent surgical procedures in 2019 under any anaesthesia technique.

Incidence of in-hospital postoperative mortality and POSPOM score performance (sensitivity, specificity and predictive values).

A total of 39 674 patients underwent surgery in 2019. The in-hospital postoperative mortality rate was 0.76% (95% CI 0.68% to 0.85%). After excluding cases per POSPOM criteria, 270 deceased patients remained. The POSPOM score was validated against these 270 cases and 270 randomly selected survivors, yielding an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.73 (95% CI 0.69 to 0.77). At a cut-off of 21, the sensitivity was 71.5% (95% CI 65.7% to 76.8%), and the specificity was 61.9% (95% CI 55.8% to 67.7%).

This single-centre study found a low in-hospital postoperative mortality rate. The POSPOM score demonstrated moderate predictive accuracy for postoperative mortality risk and may be useful for preoperative risk stratification.

https://www.thaiclinicaltrials.org/show/TCTR20200330001.

The management of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) involves a varied and comprehensive range of support services at various stages of an autistic individual’s life. In Thailand, parents/legal guardians of children with ASD often encounter challenges such as difficulty travelling from rural areas to access support services. The aim of the present study is to investigate the effectiveness of a computer-based intervention programme for caregivers of children with ASD called the Thai Early Intervention for Autism—Assistive Technology for Caregivers (TEI4A-ATC), designed and implemented by a multidisciplinary team.

160 children and their caregivers are being recruited. They will be randomised 1:1 into two treatment arms: access to TEI4A-ATC for the intervention group and standard care for the control group. Before enrolment, ASD diagnosis will be conducted using the Thai Diagnostic Autism Scale: children’s ASD scores will be determined using the Thai Autism Treatment Evaluation Checklist for evaluating communication, sociability and sensory/cognitive awareness and the Thai Early Developmental Assessment for Intervention for evaluating motor skills, social interaction, language development and problem-solving. Both assessment tools will be used again after 3 months of treatment. Similarly, the caregivers’ knowledge, attitude and practice (KAP) for ASD care will be assessed using a questionnaire at enrolment and again after treatment. Comparison of the children’s ASD scores and caregivers’ KAP responses between the treatment groups and before and after treatment will be performed based on the intention-to-treat principle.

This study was approved by the Human Research Ethics Committee for Mental Health and Psychiatry, Department of Mental Health, Ministry of Public Health (DMH.IRB.COA 037/2565). Written informed consent will be obtained from the participants prior to enrolment. The study’s findings may be disseminated through scientific publications and conference presentations. The results of the study will be shared with key stakeholders, including caregivers, psychiatrists, policymakers and the general public, via appropriate dissemination channels to aid in creating appropriate practice and policy guidelines.

This study was registered with the Thai Clinical Trials Registry (TCTR20240320010) on 20 March 2024.