Palliative care intervention for patients with end-stage liver disease-A cluster randomized clinical trial
JAMA Internal Medicine; by Manisha Verma, Victor Navarro, Andrzej Kosinski, Tamar Taddei, Richard Kalman, A. Sidney Barritt, Simona Jakab, Marina Serper, Eric Orman, Maya Balakrishnan, Mina Rakoski, Don Rockey, Kristel Hunt, Roniel Cabrera, Ayse Aytaman, Binu John, Gyorgy Baffy, Rohit Nathan, Elliot Tapper, Marina Roytman, Brendan McGuire, Nicholas Hoppmann, Christopher Woodrell, Marie Bakitas, Yang Yue, Bryce Reeve, Li Lin, Rebecca Tantala, Michael Volk; 4/26
Palliative care improves quality of life (QoL) in advanced illnesses, but data in end-stage liver disease (ESLD) are limited. It is unknown whether palliative care delivered by hepatologists is effective when compared with palliative care specialists. This cluster trial found that palliative care delivered by trained hepatologists was comparable with palliative care delivered by palliative care specialists in improving QoL in patients with ESLD and was associated with greater improvement in patient satisfaction, demonstrating the effectiveness among enrolled patients.
Assistant Editor's note: That's the beauty of palliative care. It can be layered upon many other specialties and sub-specialties and utilized by a variety of health care disciplines. The science of palliative care, the skill and knowledge base involved, is adaptable and valuable for almost anyone working in direct patient care in many different health care settings.

The state of hospice: Impacts on equity, quality, and nursing-An AAN consensus paper
Nursing Outlook; by Laura Fennimore, Kathleen O Lindell, Marjorie M Godfrey, Melissa Reider-Demer, Patrick J Coyne, Ronda G Hughes, Sharon Kozachik, Masako Mayahara, Patricia L Thomas, Nelson Tuazon, Polly Mazanec; 4/26
Hospice care has been an integral component of the United States healthcare system for over fifty years. Hospice has transitioned from a volunteer activity supported by philanthropy to a highly sophisticated business funded by Medicare, increasingly offered by for-profit and private equity companies. This consensus paper examines the current state of hospice care in the US and the impact of changing hospice business models on health equity, healthcare quality, and nursing practice. Recommendations include updating policies to account for private equity involvement, evaluating current quality measures, addressing the existing Medicare Hospice Benefit, ensuring transparency and oversight for hospice agencies, and ensuring patient and caregiver education about hospice services. These recommendations aim to preserve the fundamental values of hospice, supporting compassion, dignity, and comfort while ensuring the quality of care to patients and families in need.

New award aims to raise awareness of assisted living research
McKnights Senior Living; by Sheryl Zimmerman, PhD; 5/4/26 
To highlight research advancing the well-being of those who live and work in assisted living, and to bring it to the awareness of those who can most benefit from the findings, the national Center for Excellence in Assisted Living (CEAL@UNC) recently developed an annual research award. Launched in 2025, the inaugural (2025) CEAL@UNC Research Award honors innovative and rigorous research demonstrating potential to inform assisted living practice or policy.  [Hospice is examined in paper about memory care in assisted living.]

Potential adjunctive role of osteopathic manipulative medicine in the management of cancer-related bone pain: A narrative review
Cureus; by Ambrose Loc T. Ngo, Niki Gharavi Alkhansari, Chi Pham, Hong Nguyen, Monica Rubi, David Tanner; 4/26
Osteopathic manipulative medicine (OMM) is known for its therapeutic potential on the musculoskeletal system, and its emerging role and potential benefits in oncology care are gaining attention. Patients with primary and metastatic bone cancer tend to experience pain, restricted movement, and lower quality of life due to the pathology and its treatment. This narrative review examines the mechanistic rationale and available clinical evidence supporting the use of OMM in the management of pain and functional impairment among patients with bone malignancies. Limited clinical studies suggest that select OMM techniques, including myofascial release (MFR), gentle soft tissue methods, and lymphatic approaches, may contribute to improvements in pain perception, mobility, and fatigue in oncology populations.

How to transform a health system’s organizational culture and hardwire it for the future
NEJM Catalyst; by Brian Carlson, Nancy M. Lorenzi, Paul Sternberg, Jr., Cassandra Hennessy, Dandan Liu; 4/26
Organizational culture is a critical driver of workforce and patient experience, yet health care institutions often struggle to sustain their desired culture over time. In 2017, Vanderbilt Health identified inconsistencies in expected workforce behaviors through patient feedback, prompting the creation of a strategic cultural renewal initiative. The resulting program, Defining Personalized Care, had a 4-year road map of seven e-learning modules designed to reinforce core values and improve interpersonal behaviors across the workforce. This single-center pre–post study revealed statistically significant improvements in patient experience scores, particularly in the communication and courtesy domains. The initiative demonstrated that engaging, relevant content combined with visible support from leadership can drive voluntary participation and generate measurable outcomes. This case study offers a replicable framework for health care organizations seeking to hardwire their cultural expectations and align workforce behaviors with patient-centered care goals.

The desire to reach for the stars is ambitious. The desire to reach hearts is wise. ~ Maya Angelou