Health watchdog finds stroke screening cost-effective

The case for introducing a national screening programme to help identify over 65s who are most at risk of stroke has been given added impetus after the State’s health watchdog found that it is likely to be cost-effective.

The Health Information and Quality Authority (Hiqa) estimates that such a screening programme would result in the detection of one additional case of atrial fibrillation for every 22 people screened from age 65 onwards, and one stroke avoided for every 270 people screened over the same period.

Hiqa’s economic evaluation of a national screening programme for atrial fibrillation believes it could be done at a total incremental cost to the HSE of approximately €3.7m over the first five years.