Are there guidelines for estimating length of survival in palliative patients?
Physicians are frequently asked questions around expected time of survival, mostly by patients and families. Additionally, with increasing availability and awareness of palliative care services, there will be a need to define eligibility criteria, which will be in part based on prognosis. Physicians by and large know that their estimates are just that: estimates. Patients and families generally understand that as well. However, prognosticating carries with it some risks. Overestimating the length of survival (the more common error, according to studies) leaves families feeling they have been robbed of time. Underestimating leaves the patient and family wondering when the end is about to appear, and perhaps questioning the credibility of the source of that information. All involved need to realize that estimates are not guarantees, and that conditions at this time of life may change rapidly. A number of studies have attempted to address the issue of estimating length of survival in indi
