title: Prognostic factors in the elderly: a profile and outcomes study of a community palliative care service.
abstract: Our ageing population creates challenges for palliative care, including accuracy of prognostication. This study highlights this by profiling the outcomes of an Australian, community-based palliative service over 6 months with collection of epidemiological, comorbidity and physical function data. Most patients had cancer, comorbidities and died during the study. Low scores on the Australian-modified Karnofsky Performance Scale and the presence of congestive cardiac failure were predictive of shorter survival.
authors.affiliation: Melbourne Citymission Palliative Care Department of Palliative Care, Royal Melbourne Hospital Centre for Clinical Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Health Services Research, Royal Melbourne Hospital Department of Aged Care, Western Hospital Sunshine, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Chapman
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Le
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gorelik
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Schwarz
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002423:Cause of Death; D003153:Community Health Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D015897:Comorbidity; D005260:Female; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000628:therapy; D006801:Humans; D017567:Karnofsky Performance Status; D008297:Male; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000628:therapy; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D010166:Palliative Care / Q000458:organization & administration* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011379:Prognosis; D016016:Proportional Hazards Models; D014739:Victoria / Q000453:epidemiology
keywords: older population; palliative; prognosis