Research study participation, 2/21/26

1. CAPC's third annual Palliative Pulse: The Center to Advance Palliative Care (CAPC) wants to learn about the health and priorities of your palliative care team and how we can support your success. CAPC’s third annual Palliative Pulse survey is designed to hear directly from teams providing specialty palliative care. We will share the survey results later this year and track changes in responses over time. Open to all specialty palliative care professionals working on (or who have recently worked on) a palliative care team. You do not have to be a CAPC member to participate. Completing the survey should take approximately 10 minutes or less.
   

Effect of antipsychotic medication use and type on mortality and cardiovascular risks in nursing home patients with dementia
Alzheimer's & Dementia: Diagnosis, Assessment & Disease Monitoring; by Hamid R. Okhravi, Fang Fang, Melissa P. Hunter, Brynn E. Sheehan; 1/26
Antipsychotic medication (APM) use in nursing home (NH) patients with dementia is common but carries risks. APM use in NH dementia patients is linked to higher death risk. First‐generation APMs showed higher mortality risk than second‐generation APMs. Overall, APM use is associated with increased stroke risk. No association was found between APM use and MI risk overall.

Acupuncture and acupressure for cancer symptom management: An opinion statement based on preliminary evidence mapping
Current Treatment Options in Oncology; by Nada Lukkahatai, Jingyu Zhang, Chitchanok Benjasirisan, Sutthida Phongphanngam, Aomei Shen, Phakjira Jaiman, Jennifer Kawi, Thomas J. Smith, Leorey N. Saligan; 1/26 
Symptom management remains a critical priority in oncology, particularly as many survivors continue to experience fatigue, pain, sleep disturbance, neuropathy, and psychological distress despite advances in treatment. Conventional pharmacologic options often provide only partial relief and may be limited by side effects. Acupuncture and acupressure have emerged as promising non-pharmacologic approaches, but the supporting evidence is drawn from a broad and heterogeneous literature. In this opinion paper, we provide a preliminary overview of the current review-level evidence to highlight general trends and evolving areas of promise, while emphasizing the need for further sham-controlled studies to clarify effectiveness and guide integration of acupuncture and acupressure into supportive oncology.

Too late to help? Disparities in palliative and hospice care among veterans with pancreatic cancer—A 10-year retrospective study at a VA medical center
Journal of Clinical Oncology; by Jonathan Blackmon, Mirza Mashaal Khan, Rahul Reddy Tirumalareddy, Zohair Siddiqui, Saurin Chokshi, Alva Bowen Weir III; 1/26
Pancreatic cancer is characterized by high symptom burden, rapid progression, and poor prognosis. ASCO [American Society of Clinical Oncology] guidelines recommend palliative care consultation at diagnosis or within 8–12 weeks. Despite guideline recommendations, many patients with pancreatic cancer did not receive timely palliative or hospice care. Delays were more pronounced among rural and Black patients, highlighting persistent disparities in access. These findings support the implementation of a quality improvement initiative at the Memphis VA to standardize early palliative care referrals for high-risk populations.

Connected care for older adults: A pilot intervention engaging community health workers to advance age-friendly care in rural Oregon
Journal of the American Geriatrics Society; by Bryanna De Lima, Lindsay Miller, Elizabeth Foster, Jodi Ready, Elizabeth Eckstrom; 1/26
Aging in a rural setting presents unique challenges including limited access to in-home care, lack of social support, language and cultural barriers, and the lack of transportation. We conducted a pilot study embedding community health workers (CHWs) into rural primary care teams to assist with implementation of the 4Ms of the Age-Friendly Health System: What Matters, Mentation, Medication, and Mobility. The program made a positive difference for 95% of responding patients (n = 120) and 100% of responding providers (n = 19) were "very satisfied" with the program. Clinicians cited the CHWs' ability to support resource connections, address social isolation and social needs, provide regular check-ins, and help to get patients and families engaged in care as positive components of the model.

GOComm: A team-based communication intervention to improve clinicians' skills and distress tolerance in family meetings
Journal of Hospital Medicine; by Kimberly Bloom-Feshbach, Evgenia Litrivis, Elizabeth Brondolo, Alexandra Spinelli, Thomas Bozzo, Melissa Patterson, Robert Crupi, Cynthia X Pan; 1/26
Medical training often omits systematic approaches to prognostication and goals of care (GOC) communication, leading to end-of-life (EOL) hospital care misaligned with patients' values, lower clinician self-efficacy, and greater clinician distress. We developed and implemented GOComm, a 4-h serious illness communication training program across eight campuses of a large health system. Clinicians had statistically significant gains in GOC knowledge, self-efficacy, and distress tolerance. GOComm had high clinician acceptability: 96.2% indicated they would recommend GOComm to a colleague, and 83.2% credited it with changing how they will manage patients.

Cancer support camps and the measurement of quality of life among children of parents with cancer
Supportive Care in Cancer; by Mia K. Price, Marcelo M. Sleiman Jr., Muriel R. Statman, Duye Liu, Rachel Adams, Matthew G. Biel, Alexandra L. Baldwin, Joseph M. Stilwell, Kenneth P. Tercyak; 1/26
Children of parents with cancer face elevated risks of anxiety, depression, and impaired social-emotional functioning. This study aimed to develop and evaluate the Kids’ Experience of Summer Enrichment Measure (KESEM), a parent-report tool assessing psychosocial well-being among children attending a cancer support camp due to a parent’s cancer [and] ... the majority of parents (78%) strongly agreed that camp was favorably impactful and would recommend it to others.

[Japan] Effectiveness of music therapy combining life review and songwriting in patients with terminal cancer: A pilot study based on a mixed methods investigation
BMC Palliative Care; by Nanami Nakaya, Ami Yamasato, Mayu Kondo, Shigeki Okino, Makoto Tokuhara, Banri Tsuda, Tetsuji Iida, Osamu Matsui, Koji Hino, Kenji Yamamoto; 1/26
Spiritual well-being is a key protective factor against psychological distress in individuals receiving terminal cancer care, and several approaches have been proposed to enhance this aspect of care. In this study, we developed and evaluated the effectiveness of a novel intervention combining life review (a method known to improve spiritual well-being) with songwriting, a form of music therapy. Qualitative analysis of participants’ feedback yielded 77 codes, which were integrated into four major categories: (1) Positive feelings toward researchers or the music, (2) Recalling the past and realizing it was a good life, (3) Hope for the future, and (4) Sharing with others. The intervention significantly improved spiritual well-being, depression, and anxiety in individuals with terminal cancer.

[UK] Parental experiences of perinatal loss, with a focus on hospice provision: A thematic analysis
Palliative & Supportive Care; by Rhiannon Latham, Katrina Williams, Keeley Guest, Fauzia Paize, Robyn Lotto; 1/26
Perinatal palliative care (PPC) offers holistic support to families of babies with life-limiting conditions, addressing emotional, psychological, and practical needs alongside ensuring dignity for the baby. Five key themes were identified [in this study]: the significance of language used by healthcare professionals when discussing the baby's condition; the importance of timely introduction to hospice care; recognition that grief is a personal and evolving process; the role of shared experiences in building relationships; and the importance of creating lasting memories. Findings highlight the importance of improving healthcare professionals' communication skills and integrating multidisciplinary palliative care services early in the care pathway. Parents expressed gratitude for the hospice support, particularly the opportunity to spend quality time with their baby and make lasting memories.

Every day, someone realizes a dream. I believe dreams help light our darkness and give us the push we need to move across the rink of life. ~ Kristi Ymaguchi, Olympic Women's Gold Medal Ice Skating, 1992

Farewell, Winter Olympics 2026! Here's to dreams that light the way for these Olympians' next life-chapters! and