Palliative Care Calculators

10-item patient-rated symptom assessment tool used in palliative care. Rates pain, tiredness, drowsiness, nausea, appetite, shortness of breath, depression, anxiety, wellbeing, and an optional patient-specific symptom — each 0–10. Used to monitor symptom burden and treatment response.

10-item self-report questionnaire assessing neck pain-related disability. Each section scored 0–5. Total 0–50. Originally designed for whiplash but used broadly for cervical spine conditions. Percentage disability = score × 2.

3-item brief chronic pain measure assessing average pain intensity, pain interference with enjoyment of life, and pain interference with general activity. Each item 0–10. Mean score 0–10. Validated for monitoring chronic pain outcomes in primary care and palliative settings.

Validated prognostic tool for estimating 30-day survival probability in advanced cancer patients referred to palliative care. Components: dyspnoea, anorexia, KPS, clinical prediction of survival, total WBC, lymphocyte percentage. Score 0–17.5.

Single-question prognostic screening tool: 'Would you be surprised if this patient were to die in the next 12 months?' A 'no' answer identifies patients who may benefit from proactive palliative and supportive care planning. Simple, validated in multiple clinical settings.

3-item clinical screening tool to identify postmenopausal women at risk of low bone mineral density (BMD) who should be referred for DEXA scanning. Considers age, weight, and oestrogen use. Score ≥9 = refer for DEXA.

Measures functional decline in palliative care patients across 5 domains. PPS <50% associated with median survival <3 months. Guides goals of care and support planning.

Identifies patients in the last year of life using Gold Standards Framework prognostic indicators. Triggers palliative care registration and ACP.

Patient-rated symptom burden tool in palliative care using 9 visual analogue scales (0-10 each). Total score (0-90) guides symptom management priorities.

Guides safe opioid rotation and dose conversion in palliative care using standard equianalgesic ratios. Does not replace clinical judgement.

Assesses severity of noisy breathing (death rattle) due to retained secretions in dying patients and guides pharmacological management.

Guides clinicians through factors informing a DNACPR (Do Not Attempt Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation) decision using GMC/BMA/RCN framework.

Assesses whether a dying patient has been recognised and whether the Five Priorities of Care (LACEL framework) are being delivered. Based on NHS Leadership Alliance for Care of Dying People.

10-symptom + 7-other-concern self/staff palliative outcome measure (Murtagh 2019). Each item 0 (not at all) to 4 (overwhelmingly). Total 0–68. Use to track symptom burden over time and trigger interventions.

11-symptom palliative outcome scale (Hearn 1999). Each symptom 0 (none) to 4 (overwhelming). Total 0–44.

Predicts survival in advanced cancer patients (Morita 1999). Sums 5 weighted clinical variables. PPI >6 predicts <3 weeks survival; >4 predicts <6 weeks (sensitivity ~80%, specificity ~85%).

Single-item visual analogue (0 = no distress, 10 = extreme) plus 39-item problem list (NCCN guideline). Score ≥4 triggers further psychosocial assessment in cancer patients.

Short form of the BPI (Cleeland 1989). Captures pain severity (4 NRS items, 0–10 each) and pain interference (7 items, 0–10 each). This calc returns the severity sub-score (0–40) — interference is rated separately.

UK Gold Standards Framework triggers for identifying patients in last 6–12 months of life. Counts the number of generic + specific indicators present.

5-item screen at hospital admission for 1-year mortality (Fischer 2006), used to trigger palliative-care referral. Each criterion present scores 1.

Validated index for 1-year mortality after non-elective hospital discharge in adults ≥70 (Walter 2001). Sums 6 weighted variables.

Predicts 9-year all-cause mortality in community-dwelling adults ≥65 (Schonberg 2009). Used to inform cancer-screening and intensive-treatment decisions in older adults. Sums 12 weighted variables.

Five-item observer-rated pain scale for non-verbal patients with advanced dementia (Warden 2003). Each item 0–2. Total 0–10. Use during 5-minute observation including movement.

10-item clinician-rated severity scale of delirium (Breitbart 1997). Each item 0–3. Total 0–30. Cut-off ≥7/10 sensitive for delirium; severity bands inform escalation.