Literature Review

[Canada] Cognitive symptoms across diverse cancersJAMA Network Open; Samantha J. Mayo, RN, PhD; Kim Edelstein, PhD; Eshetu G. Atenafu, MSc, PStat; Rand Ajaj, HBSc; Madeline Li, MD, PhD; Lori J. Bernstein, PhD; 8/24In this cross-sectional study of 5078 survey respondents with cancer seeking psychosocial support, over half of these patients reported having cognitive symptoms of any severity. A third of these patients reported moderate to severe cognitive symptoms, which were associated with disease, treatment, and other symptoms. Findings of this study suggest that higher severity of cognitive symptoms was consistently associated with higher symptom burden; these findings could be used to inform decision-making regarding access to cognitive screening, assessment, and supportive care in outpatient oncology clinics.

Lake Erie views from every room mark plans for new Hospice of the Western Reserve building Ideastream Public Media; by Stephen Langel; 9/18/24The Hospice of the Western Reserve broke ground Wednesday on a new 32-bed facility in Cleveland's North Collinwood neighborhood.The new, $25 million building will replace a 30-year-old facility located adjacent to it on East 185th Street and will have a different look and feel than the old site, said Laura Rayburn, president of the Hospice of the Western Reserve Foundation."It doesn't smell like a hospital, look like a hospital or sound like a hospital," Rayburn said. ... The new facility will provide patients and family members with suites that ensure quiet settings and privacy, she said. Each suite will also face Lake Erie with patio access for residents. "We have this beautiful asset of the lake, and we know the importance of water and how it can relieve stress, how it can reduce anxiety," Rayburn said. The facility also keeps medical equipment hidden from view to reduce stress and anxiety while providing the acute care patients need, she said. This can include having the ports for equipment to help with breathing located behind a picture above a bed's headboard, so it's out of sight when not needed, Rayburn said. The old facility, for which there are no current reuse plans, is being replaced due to rising maintenance and repair costs.

The catalyst for a 25% drop in sepsis mortality at Jefferson Health Becker's Clinical Leadership; by Erica Carbajal; 9/19/24 In the healthcare quality space, clinicians must track a plethora of metrics and measures, creating an environment where it can be easy to lose focus of ongoing priorities. To help center focus and ensure alignment of clinical priorities, Philadelphia-based Jefferson Health developed a quality and safety management system called OnPoint, which is now in place across all of its 17 hospitals. ... The platform is central to strides Jefferson Health has made in managing sepsis in recent years, ... Since 2021, the system has achieved a 25% reduction in average annual sepsis mortality, which is estimated to have saved the lives of nearly 700 patients and $30 million in costs.

How Gen Z is being courted by post-acute providers Modern Healthcare; by Diane Eastabrook; 9/18/24 Some post-acute care companies are revamping their recruitment playbooks to attract Generation Z workers as they battle for talent with other healthcare companies. Providers such as Good Samaritan Society, Bayada Home Health Care and Right at Home are developing strategies to recruit the demographic, which ranges in age from 12 to 27 and makes up a quarter of the U.S. population. Those organizations want to hire Gen Z because they are purpose-driven and adept at using technology, according to a 2023 study by financial services company Mercer. 

Hiring manager fired for refusing to post 'ghost jobs' is now sharing how to recognize them Upworthy; by Jacalyn Wetzel; 9/18/24 There doesn't seem to be a shortage in job openings but there does seem to be an abundance of people looking for work for months without finding gainful employment. According to Ceros Whaley, a former hiring manager at an unnamed company, the problem is that unsuspecting hopeful employees are unknowingly applying for "ghost jobs." Whaley shares that part of his job as a hiring manager was to create "ghost jobs," which are simply fake job listings. He explains that these job listings were not created to find more qualified people to fill positions but to "encourage" current employees to improve their performance. Whaley says that he got into a little bit of a kerfuffle with his higher manager over the company continuing the ghost job ruse. By the time the man reached his tolerance level for posting fake jobs, he had already posted over 300 ghost jobs on sites like Indeed, Monster and other hiring sites. But Whaley shares that he found his morals and just couldn't continue the practice. ... [The] frustrated former employee … did a follow up video sharing how to spot ghost jobs and how to avoid them while you're job hunting. [Click on the title’s link to view.] 

How healthcare leaders view Gen Z in the workforce Becker's Hospital Review; by Kristin Kuchno; 9/18/24As more members of Generation Z move into the workforce, some have clashed with management or disagree with how their employees view them. The group, born between 1997 and 2012, has been described as both tech-savvy and overly reliant on technology. Some human resources professionals have said they lack work ethic and time management skills. The early-career employees themselves have said they find enjoyment in full-time work and value career growth and planning. Here are three healthcare leaders' perceptions of Gen Z in the workforce.

State scrutiny pf UnitedHealth Group-Amedisys deal pushes timeline back further Home Health Care News; by Audrie Martin; 9/19/24 UnitedHealth Group’s acquisition of Amedisys is still pending. That could be due to a variety of factors, but one is clear: the Oregon Health Authority’s (OHA) ongoing review, which is expected to continue until at least the end of November. OHA’s Health Care Market Oversight (HCMO) program reviews health care business deals to ensure they do not harm the state’s citizens or communities. In July, both UnitedHealth Group and Amedisys submitted responses to the OHA’s request for information. The authority is still seeking public comments on this matter. In addition to the issue in Oregon, the deal has faced scrutiny from federal antitrust regulators, including the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ).

Suffering revisited: Tenets of intensive caring Psychiatric Times; by Harvey Max Chochinov, MD, PhD, FRCPC Patients approaching death experience many losses, including losing a sense of self. This is perhaps one of the most substantive existential challenges dying patients face, as they find the essence of who they are—along with who they were or who they want to be—under assault. This notion of disintegration or fractured sense of personhood often lies at the heart of human suffering, which Eric Cassell, MD, MACP, defined as a person’s severe distress at a threat to their personal integrity. Although suffering can often lead to feelings of hopelessness and therapeutic nihilism for patients and health care professionals, it is important for those of us who care for the dying to understand the nature of suffering and how to be most responsive and therapeutically effective. [This author's Tenets of Intensive Caring include the following:]

Survey: Older adults unsatisfied with current healthcare system McKnights Long-Term Care News; by Kristen Fischer; 9/17/24 Older adults aren’t too happy with the healthcare system and many think it doesn’t meet their needs and preferences, according to a new survey. The results of the survey, conducted by The Harris Poll, were published Tuesday, and were released by Age Wave and The John A. Hartford Foundation.  Four in five adults aged 65 and older said that the system isn’t prepared to handle the changing needs of Americans in their age group. In total, only 11% said the US healthcare system deserved a grade of “A.” Results show that older adults want solutions such as affordable care interventions, developments to prevent or reduce cognitive decline, and healthcare professionals who understand what matters to them when they discuss care options.

[Honoring Hispanic Heritage Month] Artists on death, grief, and cancer Burnaway; by Carolina Ana Drake; 9/17/24... Living in Miami and raising my toddler in this city, I’ve discovered artists who similarly lost a parent to cancer. Many, like me, happen to be the children of immigrants. Their works exemplify challenging, at times experimental, art that doesn’t fit the glitzy, market-driven Miami narrative. Through conversations and email exchanges, I learned more about how these artists transformed the darkness and grief of that period into something beautiful that is worth sharing with others. [Click on the title's link to see photos from the following exhibits.]

Three Oaks Hospice reportedly begins sales process Hospice News; by Jim Parker; 9/16/24 Dallas-based Three Oaks Hospice has reportedly begun seeking a buyer. The private equity-backed hospice launched in 2019 with more than $21 million in investment dollars from Granite Growth Health Partners, Health Velocity Capital and Petra Capital Partners. Rumors of the potential sale were first reported by the website Ion Analytics, which indicated that Three Oaks generates between $12 million and $15 million EBITDA.

I hope I’ll see in my lifetime a growing realization that we are one world. And that no one is going to have quality of life unless we support everyone’s quality of life. ~ Dr. Helen Rodríguez-Trías