What is measured by performance status in clinical trials?

Performance status is a crucial metric in clinical trials as it assesses a patient's level of functioning and their ability to perform daily living activities. This assessment is pivotal for determining how a disease or treatment affects a patient’s quality of life and overall health.

The measure evaluates factors such as the patient’s mobility, self-care capabilities, and general physical status. It provides researchers and clinicians with a standardized way to quantify patients' health and functioning, which can help predict treatment outcomes and the tolerability of therapies.

In this context, while eligibility for clinical trials might consider various factors, including performance status, it is not the primary focus of this measure. Similarly, cognitive abilities and awareness of one’s condition are important aspects of patient evaluation but do not encapsulate the specific aim of performance status assessment. The primary emphasis of performance status is on daily living capabilities, making it an essential criterion for many clinical trial protocols.