Palliative Care Calculators
24 calculators & risk scores
Browse 24 Palliative Care clinical calculators and risk scores used in everyday UK practice. Every tool runs entirely in your browser — enter the values and get instant scoring, colour-coded interpretation bands and a link to the underlying guideline or publication. ClinCalc Pro is free, needs no sign-up, and is built for working clinicians.
These palliative care tools span Symptom Assessment, Pain Assessment, Prognosis, Bone Health, Performance Status, Pain Management and more.
- Edmonton Symptom Assessment System — Revised (ESAS-r)10-item patient-rated symptom assessment tool used in palliative care. Rates pain, tiredness, drowsiness, nausea, appetite, shortness of breath, depression, anxiety, wellbeing, and an optional patient-specific symptom — each 0–10. Used to monitor symptom burden and treatment response.
- Neck Disability Index (NDI)10-item self-report questionnaire assessing neck pain-related disability. Each section scored 0–5. Total 0–50. Originally designed for whiplash but used broadly for cervical spine conditions. Percentage disability = score × 2.
- PEG Scale — Pain, Enjoyment of Life and General Activity3-item brief chronic pain measure assessing average pain intensity, pain interference with enjoyment of life, and pain interference with general activity. Each item 0–10. Mean score 0–10. Validated for monitoring chronic pain outcomes in primary care and palliative settings.
- Palliative Prognostic Score (PaP Score)Validated prognostic tool for estimating 30-day survival probability in advanced cancer patients referred to palliative care. Components: dyspnoea, anorexia, KPS, clinical prediction of survival, total WBC, lymphocyte percentage. Score 0–17.5.
- Surprise Question for End-of-Life PrognosisSingle-question prognostic screening tool: 'Would you be surprised if this patient were to die in the next 12 months?' A 'no' answer identifies patients who may benefit from proactive palliative and supportive care planning. Simple, validated in multiple clinical settings.
- Osteoporosis Risk Assessment Instrument (ORAI)3-item clinical screening tool to identify postmenopausal women at risk of low bone mineral density (BMD) who should be referred for DEXA scanning. Considers age, weight, and oestrogen use. Score ≥9 = refer for DEXA.
- Palliative Performance Scale (PPS)Measures functional decline in palliative care patients across 5 domains. PPS <50% associated with median survival <3 months. Guides goals of care and support planning.
- Prognostic Indicator Guidance (PIG) / Gold Standards FrameworkIdentifies patients in the last year of life using Gold Standards Framework prognostic indicators. Triggers palliative care registration and ACP.
- Edmonton Symptom Assessment System (ESAS)Patient-rated symptom burden tool in palliative care using 9 visual analogue scales (0-10 each). Total score (0-90) guides symptom management priorities.
- Opioid Equianalgesic Dose CalculatorGuides safe opioid rotation and dose conversion in palliative care using standard equianalgesic ratios. Does not replace clinical judgement.
- Noisy Breathing / Death Rattle AssessmentAssesses severity of noisy breathing (death rattle) due to retained secretions in dying patients and guides pharmacological management.
- DNACPR Decision FrameworkGuides clinicians through factors informing a DNACPR (Do Not Attempt Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation) decision using GMC/BMA/RCN framework.
- Five Priorities of Care (Dying Assessment)Assesses whether a dying patient has been recognised and whether the Five Priorities of Care (LACEL framework) are being delivered. Based on NHS Leadership Alliance for Care of Dying People.
- IPOS — Integrated Palliative care Outcome Scale10-symptom + 7-other-concern self/staff palliative outcome measure (Murtagh 2019). Each item 0 (not at all) to 4 (overwhelmingly). Total 0–68. Use to track symptom burden over time and trigger interventions.
- POS-S — Palliative Care Outcome Scale (Symptom Module)11-symptom palliative outcome scale (Hearn 1999). Each symptom 0 (none) to 4 (overwhelming). Total 0–44.
- Palliative Prognostic Index (PPI)Predicts survival in advanced cancer patients (Morita 1999). Sums 5 weighted clinical variables. PPI >6 predicts <3 weeks survival; >4 predicts <6 weeks (sensitivity ~80%, specificity ~85%).
- NCCN Distress ThermometerSingle-item visual analogue (0 = no distress, 10 = extreme) plus 39-item problem list (NCCN guideline). Score ≥4 triggers further psychosocial assessment in cancer patients.
- Brief Pain Inventory — Short Form (BPI-SF)Short form of the BPI (Cleeland 1989). Captures pain severity (4 NRS items, 0–10 each) and pain interference (7 items, 0–10 each). This calc returns the severity sub-score (0–40) — interference is rated separately.
- Gold Standards Framework Prognostic Indicator Guidance (GSF-PIG)UK Gold Standards Framework triggers for identifying patients in last 6–12 months of life. Counts the number of generic + specific indicators present.
- CARING Criteria for Palliative Care Referral5-item screen at hospital admission for 1-year mortality (Fischer 2006), used to trigger palliative-care referral. Each criterion present scores 1.
- Walter Index — 1-year Post-Discharge Mortality in ElderlyValidated index for 1-year mortality after non-elective hospital discharge in adults ≥70 (Walter 2001). Sums 6 weighted variables.
- Schonberg Index — 9-year Mortality in Older AdultsPredicts 9-year all-cause mortality in community-dwelling adults ≥65 (Schonberg 2009). Used to inform cancer-screening and intensive-treatment decisions in older adults. Sums 12 weighted variables.
- PAINAD — Pain Assessment in Advanced DementiaFive-item observer-rated pain scale for non-verbal patients with advanced dementia (Warden 2003). Each item 0–2. Total 0–10. Use during 5-minute observation including movement.
- MDAS — Memorial Delirium Assessment Scale10-item clinician-rated severity scale of delirium (Breitbart 1997). Each item 0–3. Total 0–30. Cut-off ≥7/10 sensitive for delirium; severity bands inform escalation.