The unpredictability of life makes predicting one's time of death nearly impossible. However, one particular new medical practice may offer health professionals the next best thing for elderly patients.
Health experts have developed a new technology that uses a series of factors to determine if a patient could die in the next 30 days after being admitted to a hospital. The test is designed to help patients determine if they should go through with a medical treatment that might cause them unnecessary pain without the benefit of extended life.
The test takes a look at 29 different factors, including age, frailty, mental impairment, medical history and heart rate. It then produces a percentage chance for how likely the subject is to die in the next 12 week period.
Medical professionals are calling it Criteria for Screening and Triaging to Appropriate Alternative Care (CriSTAL).
The technology is designed to help serve the needs of the patients, as well as minimize unnecessary healthcare costs, according to The Telegraph.
"Delaying unavoidable death contributes to unsustainable and escalating healthcare costs, despite aggressive and expensive interventions.....These interventions may not influence patient outcome; often do not improve the patient's quality of life; may compromise bereavement outcomes for families; and cause frustration for health professionals," CriSTAL author Dr. Magnolia Cardona-Morrel told the Telegraph.
While this may sound logical, there is still the issue of whether the data used to account for the odds of survival is accurate. The test hasn't been use by doctors or review boards yet.
