Life expectancy calculation in urology: Are we equitably treating older patients?

摘要

Introduction The aim of our study was to determine the contemporary practice in the utilization of lifeexpectancy (LE) calculations among urological clinicians.Material and methods Members of the Irish Society of Urology (ISU) and the British Association of UrologicalSurgeons (BAUS) completed a questionnaire on LE utilization in urological practice.Results The survey was delivered to 1251 clinicians and the response rate was 17% (n = 208/1251).The majority (61%, n = 127) of urologists were aware of methods available for estimated LE calculation.Seventy-one percent (n = 148) had never utilized LE analysis in clinical practice and 81% (n = 170)routinely used 'eyeballing' (empiric prediction) for estimating LE. Life expectancy tables were utilizedinfrequently (12%, n = 25) in making the decision for treatment in the setting of multi-disciplinarymeetings.Conclusions LE is poorly integrated into treatment decision-making; not only for the management ofurological patients but also in the multidisciplinary setting. Further education and awareness regardingthe importance of LE is vital.