Editorial: You don't need death clock to know life is for the living

Knowing exactly how much time you have left would likely make you spend more time with loved ones. Photo / 123RF

It could mean that you no longer sweat the small stuff. If you could find out how long you have left before you shuffle off this mortal coil, would you want to know?

Using anonymised medical and home support records of thousands of the recently deceased, Waikato DHB has developed a way to identify those not long for this world.

The system, which is still in development and might never get approved for actual use, is designed to help emergency department doctors and wouldn't direct treatment but "guide conversations" with patients and families about their options.

Pinpointing your time of expiration with any level of exactitude would certainly change how you live your life.

It would give you time to sort any loose ends and tidy up your will or affairs.

It could mean that you no longer sweat the small stuff — or toss and turn over life's quotidian worries.

Knowing exactly how much time you have left would likely make you spend more time with loved ones — to contact friends you know you don't talk to often enough.

It would throw into sharp relief what the important things are during our limited time here on this Earth.

With all that in mind, it sounds like we could all benefit from the tool Waikato DHB is dreaming up.

Except there's nothing stopping you from doing any of the above — even if you're in the dark on when you're going to die.

You don't need a death clock to know that life is for the living.

So why not try it today?