The Sightline methodology
Sightline scores pain and quality of life in pets using validated clinical instruments. This page lists every instrument the platform uses, with full citations, psychometric properties, and the strengths and limitations of each. The list is the authoritative source of truth; if a study, cut-off, or licence is not represented here, Sightline does not deploy it.
The methodology aligns with the WSAVA Global Pain Council guidelines, the 2022 AAHA Pain Management Guidelines for Dogs and Cats, the 2024 ISFM Consensus Guidelines on the Long-term Use of NSAIDs in Cats, and the 2021 AAFP Senior Care Guidelines. Every instrument shipped on Sightline has been independently validated, published in a peer-reviewed source, and reviewed by Alastair Greenway MRCVS and Claire Greenway BVM&S MRCVS before going live.
Our approach
- Validated instruments only. Sightline does not invent scoring scales. Every score in the platform comes from a peer-reviewed instrument with a published cut-off or change-tracking convention.
- Same scores both faces. The Member View and the Clinical View render the same numbers from the same database row. The two faces differ in language and density, never in arithmetic.
- Versioned scoring algorithms. Every instrument carries a scoring_logic_version stamp (e.g. sightline-hcpi-v1.0.0) so the algorithm used to compute any historical score is traceable for the lifetime of that score.
- Public methodology, version-controlled. This page lives in the same source-controlled repository as the rest of the platform; the founders' edits are tracked and reviewable. Vets and members can both read it without an account.
Quality of Life Trajectory · the synthesis line on the hospice dashboard combining HHHHHMM, JOURNEYS, and the daily diary. Documents the 0.4 / 0.3 / 0.3 weighting, its clinical rationale, and the founder-attributed clinical note for transparency.
Instruments grouped by category
Acute pain
Chronic pain
- HCPIHelsinki Chronic Pain Index (HCPI)Dog
Owner-completed 11-item chronic pain index for dogs, validated against orthopaedic gold standard.
- LOADLiverpool Osteoarthritis in Dogs (LOAD)Dog
Owner-completed 13-item clinical metrology instrument for canine osteoarthritis, scoring activity, mobility, lameness, stiffness, and impact on quality of life.
- FMPI-SFFeline Musculoskeletal Pain Index, Short Form (FMPI-SF)Cat
Owner-completed 9-item musculoskeletal pain index for cats, refined from the original 17-item FMPI for shorter administration without losing validity.
- MI-CAT-CMontreal Instrument for Cat Arthritis Testing, Caretaker version (MI-CAT(C))Cat
Owner-completed 38-item caretaker instrument for feline osteoarthritis, structured around posture, mobility, activity & mood, owner interaction, and self-care.
Quality of life
- CHQLS-15Canine Health-Related Quality of Life Survey, 15-item form (CHQLS-15)Dog
Owner-completed 15-item canine quality-of-life survey across four domains. Generic alternative to the commercial VetMetrica QoL.
- CHEWCat Health and Wellbeing Questionnaire (CHEW)Cat
Owner-completed 33-item generic feline quality-of-life survey across eight published domains. Batched into eight per-domain screens to reduce completion fatigue.
End of life
- HHHHHMMQuality of Life Scale (HHHHHMM) — Hurt, Hunger, Hydration, Hygiene, Happiness, Mobility, More good days than badDog and cat
Owner-completed 7-item end-of-life quality of life scale by Dr Alice Villalobos. The hospice canonical instrument; Sightline pairs it with JOURNEYS and the Lap of Love daily check-in.
- JOURNEYSJOURNEYS Quality of Life Scale (Lap of Love)Dog and cat
Owner-completed 8-item end-of-life scale by Lap of Love, complementary to HHHHHMM. Different domain coverage and opposite directionality (higher is worse).
- LAP-OF-LOVE-DAILYLap of Love daily check-inDog and cat
One-tap daily diary. Owners record good day / bad day / unsure with an optional note; surfaces as a calendar view in the hospice dashboard.