Table 1. Gold Standards Framework criteria.

General Criteria of End-stage illness (at least one of these)

• Weight loss >10% in last 6 months

• General physical decline

• Serum albumin <25 g/l

• Reducing performance status (Karnofsky score <50%)

Heart Disease specific criteria (at least 2 of these)

• The “Surprise Question” (to be asked of a health care provider familiar with the patient): “Would you be surprised if this patient died in the next 6 to 12 months?”

• New York Heart Association (NYHA)– Stage III or IV heart failure

• Repeated hospital admissions within the last year

• Difficult physical or psychological symptoms despite optimised tolerated therapy