Predict Your Death by an Online Calculator

New online calculator can help predict death and end-of-life care needs for older adults

Predictable causes of death with health needs that can be met at home are common among most Canadians. However, a physician home visit during their last year of life is received by only 20% of people as per a study in Canadian Medical Association Journal.

The team developed the Risk Evaluation for Support: Predictions for Elder-Life in the Community Tool (RESPECT) for understanding the changing care needs of older adults as they age and when they might be nearing the end of their lives.

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‘New online calculator can help predict death and end-of-life care needs for older adults. A decline in a person's ability to carry out activities of daily living is one of the main predictors of mortality. The tool is set to be used by physicians and home care staff, in addition to palliative care professionals at the community level in Ontario.’

The "big data" approach was validated by more than 491,000 community-dwelling older adults who used home care in the 6 years between 2007 and 2013. The online calculator was able to predict death within 6 months.

The Online Death Calculator

"The RESPECT calculator allows families and their loved ones to plan. For example, it can help an adult child plan when to take a leave of absence from work to be with a parent or decide when to take the last family vacation together," says Dr. Amy Hsu, investigator at the Bruyère Research Institute, affiliate investigator at The Ottawa Hospital, and faculty in the Department of Family Medicine at the University of Ottawa.

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Declines in a person's ability to carry out activities of daily living, such as hygiene, using the toilet, and locomotion was identified as stronger predictors of 6-month mortality than the diseases that a person has.

"Knowing how long a person has to live is essential in making informed decisions about what treatments they should get and where they should get them. As a person gets closer to death, the balance shifts from having curative care as the primary goal, to care that maximizes a person's quality of remaining life," says Dr. Peter Tanuseputro, physician-scientist at The Ottawa Hospital and ICES, and investigator at the Bruyère Research Institute.

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The tool is now piloted in community settings in Ontario and can also be used by physicians and home care staff, in addition to palliative care professionals.

Source-Medindia

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