The combination of an ageing population with improving survival in malignant and non-malignant disease processes results in a growing cohort of the population who live with advanced or end-stage chronic diseases. Medical assessment may be necessary as a result of an acute decompensation, the failure of planned management strategies, or the requirement for levels of care that cannot be provided by skilled community nursing [1]. Acute medical evaluations, that take place in settings ranging from home visits, outpatient medical clinics or inpatient medical receiving units are pivotal moments in such situations, and the decisions made in these first interactions can alter the trajectory of patient care dramatically [1].
