Did you know that the PPS and KPS scales can be used interchangeably? These functional tools are widely used across the world, with some hospices requiring only PPS while others require both. But why were these scales created in the first place? Well, the KPS scale was primarily developed to help quantify the effects of experimental cancer chemotherapy drugs. It's still widely used today to help determine the effectiveness of treatment and the overall prognosis of disease. On the other hand, the PPS scale was created by a hospice in Canada because the wording used on the KPS scale was not appropriate in a hospice setting. Both scales have their place in the medical field, with the KPS scale being helpful in an oncology setting and the PPS scale being helpful in a hospice or palliative care setting. Want to learn more about the background and use of each scale? Keep reading!

 According to a study in the Journal of Palliative Care, the KPS and PPS scales are functional tools that are interchangeable. The KPS is a scale that is primarily used in oncology while PPS was adapted from the KPS scale for palliative care. 

 “The performance status scale that came to carry Karnofsky’s name was developed in the late 1940s for a trial of nitrogen mustard in the treatment of lung cancer patients” (Timerman, 2013). The KPS scale stands for the Karnofsky Performance Status Scale. This scale was primarily developed to help quantify the effects of experimental cancer chemotherapy drugs.  KPS is still widely used today to help determine the effectiveness of treatment and the overall prognosis of disease. The KPS scale is primarily used in the field of oncology. 

The PPS scale was created by a hospice in Canada. They created this scale because the wording used on the KPS scale was not appropriate in a hospice setting. The KPS scale uses the wording “hospital admission necessary” which is contradictory to the hospice philosophy.  Often times in hospice,  many patients do not return to the hospital and often choose to die peacefully at home. The PPS scale focuses on the functional ability and prognosis of patients. Both tools are still widely used across the world. KPS is a useful tool for cancer patients while the PPS is helpful for hospice patients. Some hospices prefer using both the KPS and PPS scales for their cancer patients. I hope this helps to clarify the KPS vs PPS debate!

Check out our useful hospice tools to make #nurselife easier!

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Written by Brittany McClain, RN

Sources: 

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24380215/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3837542/

https://victoriahospice.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/PPSv2-QA-Instructions-and-Definitions-updated-July-2020.pdf