A novel prognostic tool for predicting mortality in palliative care patients: HALP score

Objective: Patients who have high mortality are treated in Palliative Care Units (PCU). The prognostic data to be obtained in the initial evaluation of these patients is important for planning the most appropriate clinical approach. The prognostic role of hemoglobin, albumin, lymphocyte, and platelet (HALP) score was investigated in the study. Methods: A total of 1317 patients who received treatment in PCUs between January 2018 and December 2021 were included in this retrospective study. HALP scores of patients during admission to PCU were calculated. The patients were divided into two groups as discharge and mortality and HALP scores and other clinical characteristics of the two groups were compared. The relationship between HALP score and mortality was evaluated statistically. Results: HALP score median of the mortality group (11.06) was lower than discharge group (21.36) (p<0.001). In the subgroup analysis made according to the presence of malignancy, it was found that the HALP score differed at significant levels between the discharge and mortality groups, regardless of malignancies (p<0.005). It was found in the regression analysis that the HALP score remained an independent predictor of mortality (p=0.005). In the receiver operating curve (ROC) Analysis, the optimal HALP score of patients was found to accurately predict mortality with a cut-off value of 20.51 with 77.7% sensitivity and 52.3% specificity (p