Clinical Tools

Victoria Hospice offers the following useful clinical tools to help health care professionals in their assessment or treatment of patients facing advancing illness, death or bereavement. The Palliative Performance Scale and Bowel Performance Scale have been validated, while the others should be considered 'working forms.'

If you wish to print any of these tools for your use, please click here to download a copy of our reprint and use permission request form.

Bereavement Risk Assessment Tool

The Bereavement Risk Assessment Tool, or BRAT, is a psychosocial assessment tool used by care team members to communicate personal, interpersonal and situational factors that may place a caregiver or family member at greater risk for a significantly negative bereavement experience. This information can be collected prior to the death of the patient and used to inform the care team of any immediate concerns regarding caregivers or family members, and may also facilitate the allocation of scarce bereavement services after the death.

Click here for a PDF ►

This tool is shown as a sample only and is not be used without complete instructions and permission. For complete instructions and permission please purchase the Bereavement Risk Assessment Tool Manual with CD. See Publication Order Form for details. ►

Palliative Performance Scale

The Victoria Hospice Palliative Performance Scale (PPS, version 2) is an 11-point scale designed to measure patients' performance status in 10% decrements from 100% (healthy) to 0% (death) based on five observable parameters: ambulation, ability to do activities, self-care, food/fluid intake, and consciousness level.

Click here for a PDF (English Version)►

Click here for a PDF (Japanese Version)►

Click here for a PDF (Thai Version)►

Click here for a PDF (French Version)►

Click here for a PDF (Portugese Version)►