Introduction
Hospice care is a special end-of-life care provided to people nearing death. It is provided in cases where a patient is not under curative or acute treatment for a particular disease. Hospice care aims to support patients’ quality of life as they experience an advanced, life-limiting condition. Hospice care provides treatment for managing the disease’s side effects and symptoms. It helps individuals to live as comfortably and comprehensively as possible.
During the experience, terminally ill patients need to know how much time is left. Many tools can be used to assess and help track and report information on the prognosis of hospice care (Park et al., 2019). The Palliative Performance Scale (PPS) is the most preferred tool because it is reliable and straightforward.
The Importance of the Palliative Performance Scale in Hospice Care
It is critical for patients and their families to know the length of time they have to enjoy life together. Prognosis helps to estimate the time left, which can be determined through accurate survival prognostication. The information helps the parties make better judgments about care goals and prepare for the eventual death.
Park et al. (2019) state that healthcare professionals need the information before they refer patients for hospice care, a process that needs to be done at the correct time. Hospice care organizations can use the information to plan and administer the assertiveness of relaxing the patients. The processes require precise estimation of survival, which needs valid measures. The PPS is an authentic and dependable tool that can predict survival by evaluating patients’ practical performance.
The PPS is based on scoring patients across five functional realms, which can act as separate variables for analysis. They include activity level and evidence of disease, ambulation, oral intake, self-care, and status of consciousness. The variables help to classify a patient’s physical performance. The PPS has a scale of measures ranging from zero to 100%, representing death to fully ambulatory and healthy, respectively.
Hospice care is generally recommended for patients scoring 70% and below on the scale (Park et al., 2019). patients with deteriorating conditions scoring between 50% and 30% are typically recommended for the self-care column. At 30%, a patient is considered to be in a state of paralysis or is profoundly weak to the extent that the individual may not be able to move out of bed or perform any self-care (Park et al., 2019). The PPS tool is designed so that additional circumstances and variables can be added.
The PPS is considered an effective tool in assessing the level of hospice care needed. The tool can be applied to varied healthcare settings, and different healthcare professionals can use the tool to assess patients. PPS can validly be used to evaluate the patient’s capacity to function and define how to progress into the end-of-life phase. It helps healthcare providers choose the appropriate time to discuss goals of care with patients and families.
However, PPS as a tool has a few limitations that hinder its effectiveness. It does not describe the degree of pain or suffering a patient is experiencing. It does not tell how long a patient may stay alive before dying. PPPs are mainly applied to patients diagnosed with cancer (Park et al., 2019). Therefore, it may not be effective in assessing patients diagnosed with renal failure, heart attack, stroke, or dementia, among other critical conditions.
Conclusion
In conclusion, hospice care helps to provide end-of-life care to patients. Knowing how long a patient has left before passing away is vital for both the patient and their family. Different assessment tools can be used to define the prognosis of a patient. PPS is considered an appropriate assessment tool because it is simple across different healthcare settings. However, the tool is considered highly effective in cancer patients and may not be applied to patients suffering from other conditions.
References
Park, E. J., Koh, S. J., & Cheon, J. K. (2019). Initial Assessment and Care Planning in Palliative Hospice Care: Focus on Assessment Tools. The Korean Journal of Hospice and Palliative Care, 22(2), 67–76. Web.