Utilising the Palliative Prognostic Index in a mixed non-malignant and malignant patient group to determine prognosis. A general medicine tool for prognostication

Objectives This study tested the use of the Palliative Prognostic Index (PPI), an established cancer prognostic tool, in a general medicine group within an acute setting for non-selective adult palliative care. The PPI score ranges from 0 to 15, with scores <6 indicating a prognosis of over 6 weeks and scores >6 indicating under 3 weeks. Methods Data from 256 patients seen over three months by the Ashford and St Peter’s NHS Foundation Trust Palliative Care team were analysed. PPI scores were calculated and correlated with patient’s date of death (DoD) to evaluate predictive value. ASPH is a medium sized hospital in England with 500 adult beds. Results Among 256 patients, 145 had cancer and 111 had non-malignant disease. Higher PPI scores correlated with more accurate prognostic predictions, with an overall prediction accuracy of 70%. Conclusions The study demonstrates the PPI tool’s value for mixed groups of non-malignant and malignant diseases. The ASPH population is representative of most UK areas, suggesting that the PPI tool can guide timely care decisions in general medical settings.