How is time to death calculated in terminally I’ll patients?
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To be honest docs tend to try to give a range, we rarely know that firmly for most things. Often you’ll say days vs weeks vs months vs years, rather than a set estimate. Some things are more predictable, but especially cancer often depends on where it spreads and what it does (eg lung cancer might kill someone earlier than expected if it causes lung collapse).
This is also why so many people have stories of “the doctors said I wouldn’t survive the night / walk again” etc. A good doctor isn’t going to say that your relative is going to live if there’s a 50/50 they die. They’re going to prepare you for the worst, because pretty much noone is going to be mad if someone unexpectedly survives, but if family feels unprepared, or that they had a lot of false hope…
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