Gold Standards Framework Can Identify Primary Care Patients Who Would Benefit from a Palliative Approach

Brunei is a rapidly “graying” population, where the number of people aged 65 years and older increased from 17,800 to 22,600 from 2015 to 2017, respectively. In 2017, the crude death rate was 4%, equating to 1696 deaths per year. Of these, 52.5% of the total deaths were comprised of noncommunicable diseases, namely cancer, heart disease, diabetes mellitus, and cerebrovascular disease.1 Development of palliative care services is necessary to improve the quality of life of patients and their families facing life-threatening illnesses.