Using the Spitzer Quality of Life Index to Improve Prognosis in Terminal Cancer Care
Author Information
Author(s): J.M. Addington-Hall, L.D. MacDonald, H.R. Anderson
Primary Institution: Department of Public Health Sciences, St George's Hospital Medical School
Hypothesis
Can the Spitzer Quality of Life Index help to reduce prognostic uncertainty in terminal care?
Conclusion
The Spitzer Quality of Life Index may not be accurate enough for individual prognosis but can provide valuable information for planning services for terminally ill cancer patients.
Supporting Evidence
- Doctors and nurses assigned between 17 and 25% of patients to the wrong prognostic group.
- Patients with a low QL Index score were more likely to die within 6 months than those with higher scores.
- Six-month survival rates were 90% for patients predicted to live over 1 year and 45% for those predicted to live under 1 year.
Takeaway
Doctors and nurses often guess how long cancer patients will live, but using a special quality of life score can help them make better guesses about what patients need.
Methodology
Patients were assessed using the Spitzer Quality of Life Index and their prognoses were compared with actual survival rates.
Potential Biases
Doctors and nurses may be overly optimistic in their predictions of patient survival.
Limitations
The QL Index was not a strong predictor of individual patient survival and may not be suitable for making treatment decisions alone.
Participant Demographics
{"age_distribution":{"18-34":4,"35-49":9,"50-64":40,"65-74":65,"75+":111},"sex_distribution":{"male":118,"female":112},"site_of_cancer":{"lung":57,"colorectal":41,"breast":32,"prostate":22,"other":76}}
Statistical Information
Confidence Interval
95% confidence intervals 87-93%
Statistical Significance
p>0.05
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