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Aims: Multifactorial falls prevention programmes (MFFPs) can prevent falls and fall-related injuries. We aimed to study MFFP patients' mortality compared with their sex-, age- and residence-matched population-based controls., Methods: This study is a Finnish single-centre retrospective register-based controlled cohort study of a total of 527 home-dwelling MFFP patients and their 3:1 age-, sex- and residence-matched population-based controls ( n = 1581), who had not attended the MFFP., Results: During the follow-up, the cumulative mortality of all patients was 40.4, and of controls 39.1 %. Hazard ratio was 0.82 (95% confidence interval 0.68 to 0.99), p = 0.041. Case patients had a 2.7 times greater risk to die due to accidents, but they had a lower risk to die due to dementia, compared with the control group. The 72-years-old or older participants had a lower mortality rate than the controls during follow-up., Conclusions: The MFFP seems to relate to a lower all-cause mortality when comparing MFFP patients with their age-, sex- and residence-matched controls. However, the MFFP did not seem to relate to a lower injury-related mortality. The relationship between the MFFP and lower all-cause mortality seemed to be strongest in the patients aged 72 years or older. Due to the study setting and population-based control group, it is difficult to draw solid conclusions and further studies are needed. A randomized controlled trial comparing the MFFP with standard care would give better insight on the effectiveness of a MFFP on mortality., Competing Interests: Declaration of conflicting interestsThe authors have no conflicts of interest to declare.

Objective: To assess the effectiveness and costs of intensive stroke rehabilitation and improvements in patient pathway in the city of Lahti and in Päijät-Häme region compared with other parts in Finland., Design: Retrospective benchmarking controlled trial., Patients: Three cohorts of Finnish community-dwelling patients (n = 94,749, n = 4,184, and n = 105,458) with ischaemic stroke between 2001 and 2019., Methods: This study is based on the PERFECT 2001-2019 database of ischaemic stroke patients. PERFECT indicators describe how the stroke patients recover. The difference-in-difference method was used in the main analysis., Results: Improved stroke rehabilitation in Lahti increased the share of patients discharged home (p = 0.005) and decreased the length of first institutional episode (-4 days, p = 0.006), the share of patients institutionalized (-5.1%, p = 0.001), and the costs of first institutional episode (€-2,085, p < 0.001) compared with the rest of Finland. Discharges to home increased 6.6 percentage points (p = 0.021) in Lahti compared with rest of Päijät-Häme. After 2013, the costs of first institutional episode per patient in Päijät-Häme decreased significantly compared with the rest of Finland (p < 0.001)., Conclusion: Investments in intensive stroke rehabilitation and patient pathway seem to provide both faster and better return to home for patients and reduced costs for the healthcare system.