Palliat Support Care
March 2025
Objectives: To evaluate the prognostic utility of Palliative Prognostic Index (PPI) scores in predicting the death of adults with advanced cancer.
Methods: A systematic review and meta-analysis were conducted. Six databases were searched for articles published from inception till 16 February 2024.
Background: Clinician predicted survival for cancer patients is often inaccurate, and prognostic tools may be helpful, such as the Palliative Prognostic Index (PPI). The PPI development study reported that when PPI score is greater than 6, it predicted survival of less than 3 weeks with a sensitivity of 83% and specificity of 85%. When PPI score is greater than 4, it predicts survival of less than 6 weeks with a sensitivity of 79% and specificity of 77%.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: The ageing global population has seen increasing numbers of older people living with chronic health problems, declining function, and frailty. As older people seek to live out their years at home, family members, friends and neighbours (informal caregivers) are increasingly relied upon for support. Moreover, pressured health systems and shorter hospital length of stay mean that informal caregivers can find themselves supporting the older person who is still unwell after discharge.
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