Life Expectancy Projections Supporting Life Care Planning

Patients, following catastrophic injuries or illnesses, frequently question health care providers regarding prognosis including life expectancy. Projecting life expectancy is important in medicolegal cases due to its impact on determining the extent of damages. Developing an individualized Life Care Plan is also impacted by the patient’s life expectancy. This is a retrospective review of life expectancy estimates provided in medicolegal reports for catastrophically impaired individuals. This study shows that careful individualized analysis of the impact of a catastrophic injury or illness on an individual can be used to project life expectancy.