Online tool helps predict mortality

Mortality researchers have developed an online assessment tool that helps clinicians predict mortality for older adults.

Created by experts at the University of California at San Francisco, the website ePrognosis.com helps doctors predict an older adult's life expectancy as a means of preventing over-treatment and over-testing of older adults, the New York Times reported. The investigators pinpointed 16 assessment scales deemed to be “moderate” or “very good” at zeroing in on when a person might die, within six months to five years, depending on the individual.

There are different assessments for adults living in their own homes or communities, nursing homes and hospitals. Users also can plug in variables such as age, health conditions, cognitive status and functional ability. The site asks whether a user is a healthcare professional but does not prompt for verification, the Times reported.