When Time Matters Most: The Art & Science of Prognostication-video1420591991

Video Transcription

Video Summary

Dr. Maria Sturtschler’s webinar, “When Time Matters Most: The Art and Science of Prognostication,” explored how hospice and palliative care clinicians can estimate and communicate a patient’s likely disease trajectory.<br /><br />Prognosis involves more than estimating time until death. Clinicians should consider the primary diagnosis and comorbidities, clinical events and treatments, nutrition, frailty, functional status, and the patient’s psychosocial circumstances and support network. Tools such as the Palliative Performance Scale, Karnofsky scale, FAST, and ECOG can help, but scores are snapshots; trends and clinical judgment matter.<br /><br />Dr. Sturtschler emphasized that forming a prognosis and discussing it with patients and families are distinct tasks. Honest, compassionate conversations can support planning, build trust, guide goals of care, and help teams allocate resources. When patients or families disagree with a prognosis, clinicians should explore whether the issue is distrust or misinformation, listen without pressuring them, and provide education when they are receptive.<br /><br />She also encouraged clinicians to align with colleagues and outside specialists, explain the reasoning behind their assessment, and distinguish hospice eligibility from prognosis. Pediatric cases and failure to thrive can be especially difficult to predict, so clinicians should review the patient’s history, consult their teams, and allow for uncertainty.<br /><br />The discussion highlighted the practical value of prognostication for care planning, staffing, volunteer support, and referral practices. Participants also recommended resources such as Fast Facts and the GoFAR calculator.

Meta Tag

Concept Prognostication

Concept Disease Trajectory

Concept Functional Status

Concept Primary Diagnosis

Concept Patient Communication

Keywords

prognostication

hospice care

palliative care

disease trajectory

clinical judgment

functional status

goals of care

prognosis communication

hospice eligibility

care planning

Prognostication

Disease Trajectory

Functional Status

Primary Diagnosis

Patient Communication