SPARC (Palliative Performance Scale Research Academy)

The SPARC (Supportive & Palliative Care Indicators, Research, and Clinical tool) is a standardized scale used by healthcare professionals to assess a patient's functional status in palliative care. Similar to the Palliative Performance Scale (PPS), it evaluates things like overall activity, self-care ability, and consciousness to help determine how a patient is doing and guide care decisions. Developed by the Palliative Performance Scale Research Academy, SPARC helps ensure consistent, objective assessments, which improves communication among care teams, planning, and quality of patient-centered care at the end of life.