Literature Review

Using natural language processing to assess goals-of-care conversations for patients with cancerJCO Clinical Cancer Informatics; by Melissa K Greene, Gloria Broadwater, Donna Niedzwiecki, Thomas W LeBlanc, Jessica E Ma, David J Casarett, Brittany A Davidson; 10/25This is a retrospective review of patients at a single US center who died with cancer between 2018 and 2022, and had documented GOC [goals of care] notes in the last 12 months of life. Eight GOC components were identified: current understanding of illness, information preferences, prognostic disclosure, goals, fears, acceptable function, trade-offs, and family involvement. The most common GOC component addressed was family involvement (75.0%) and the least common was fears (21.1%). Only 5.4% had all eight components documented. More comprehensive GOC notes were associated with lower rates of aggressive EOL care; 73.2% received aggressive care when 0/8 components were documented, compared with 56.8% and 50.3% with six or seven components discussed, respectively.

Hospice Research Information 11/13/25

Estimating the number of services & patients receiving specialized palliative care globally in 2025 Journal of Pain and Symptom Management; by Stephen R. Connor PhD, Eduardo Garralda MA, Vilma A. Tripodoro MD, PhD, Carlos Centeno MD, PhD; November 2025 Issue In 2025, the estimated number of specialized palliative care service delivery teams worldwide reached approximately 33,700 - representing a 35.6% increase from the 25,000 identified in 2017. Service delivery expanded across all WHO regions. The estimated number of patients served rose from almost 7 million in 2017 to approximately 10.4 million in 2025. This figure represents roughly 14% of the total global need for palliative care. ...Despite notable growth in service availability, significant disparities persist, particularly in low- and middle-income countries. 

Opportunities to improve end-of-life care in assisted living: Results from a national survey of administrators The Journal of the Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Medical Association; by Emmanuelle Belanger, PhD, Nicole Rosendaal, MSc, Michelle L. Rogers, PhD, Tamara A. Sequeira, RN, MSN, Kali S. Thomas, PhDe ∙ Joan M. Teno, MD, MS, Susan L. Hayes, MPAf, Xiao (Joyce) Wang, PhD, Pedro L. Gozalo, PhDa, David M. Dosa, MD, MPHh, Melissa A. Clark, PhD; 11/9/25 Among 4796 eligible assisted living communities invited, 2084 administrators completed the survey from all 48 targeted states, a response rate of 43.4%. ... This national study of administrators highlights important opportunities to improve end-of-life care both as part of assisted living care processes for dying residents and through collaboration with hospice. These novel survey measures will help determine how end-of-life care processes vary along state regulations and shape residents' outcomes.

Hospice to deliver meals for homebound patients' Thanksgiving: Program volunteers will deliver over 700 Thanksgiving Day dinners on Nov. 27. Pike County Courier, Scranton, PA; 11/12/25 Hospice of the Sacred Heart will again spread the spirit of gratitude and compassion this holiday season through its annual Thanksgiving Program, taking place on Thanksgiving morning, Thursday, Nov. 27. This is the program’s 20th year. Each year, staff and volunteers come together to prepare, package, and deliver traditional Thanksgiving meals to Hospice of the Sacred Heart patients receiving care at home, along with their families. Over 700 meals are expected to be delivered. ... Diane Baldi, CEO, Hospice of the Sacred Heart said, “This program allows us to bring comfort, care, and a sense of togetherness to our patients and their families on one of the most meaningful days of the year.”

Federal government re-opens CHAP; Press Release; 11/13/25 On November 12, the U.S. House passed the Senate Amendment to H.R. 5371, ending the 43-day government shutdown. The continuing resolution (CR) provides funding for most agencies through January 30, 2026, at current levels, and grants full-year 2026 funding to select departments, including Agriculture, FDA, Legislative Branch, military construction, and Veterans Affairs. It also contains measures relevant to the home care community. 

AI increasingly responsible for job cuts: Report Becker's Health IT; by Giles Bruce; 11/7/25 AI has been the sixth most-cited reason for U.S. job cuts so far in 2025, but the No. 2 cause of layoffs in October, Challenger, Gray & Christmas found. The technology has been responsible for 48,414 staff reductions this year, including 31,039 in October alone, according to the executive outplacement firm’s Nov. 6 report. ... The 153,074 layoffs in October mark the highest total since October 2003, when widespread cellphone adoption altered the telecommunications sector. 

November is stressful. It's suddenly freezing. You have tons of deadlines, parties and shopping to do, and everyone is panicking, and it's dark all the time.

Inside Compassus’ 2-pronged plan to expand Providence joint venture Home Health Care News; by Morgan Gonzales; 11/11/25 The joint venture between Compassus and not-for-profit health system Providence is set to expand through two key growth tactics. ... For the first pillar, the joint venture aims to expand through multiple sources within Providence, including case management, discharge planning, hospital-based clinicians and Providence’s ambulatory environment. ... Its second growth strategy looks outside of the Providence ecosystem for referrals, whether from long-term care facilities, skilled nursing facilities or physicians working directly with patients. 

Reducing moral distress through interdisciplinary collaboration: the impact of a weekly palliative care and neonatology conference BMC Palliative Care; by Kirthi Devireddy, Riddhi Shukla, Rachel Boren, James E Slaven, Rebecca A Baker, Jayme D Allen, Karen M Moody; 11/11/25 Conclusion: A neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) and palliative care-weekly-collaborative conference resulted in significantly decreased moral distress among NICU staff. Qualitative data revealed that both prolonging life with life-sustaining medical therapies (LSMTs) and ending it by withdrawing LSMTs in the context of prognostic uncertainty and institutional constraints creates significant moral distress among staff. Palliative care and NICU programs should consider implementing regular interdisciplinary collaborative conferences to address this distress.

Achieving goal-concordant care with goals of care consultations in the Emergency Department American Journal of Hospice and Palliative Medicine; by Stacy Nilsen, PhD, RN, Diane Wintz, MD, Kelly Wright, MSN, MBA, RN, Debra Poeltler, PhD, MPH, RN, Sharp Mary Birch Hospital for Women and Newborns, San Diego, CA; 10/24/25 Introduction: Time constraints may be prohibitive to adequate goals of care (GOC) discussions and could delay critical decision making in urgent or emergent situations. ... Method: A retrospective record review was conducted for patients 65 and older at a single community hospital between January and December 2023. Included patients had at least one GOC documented discussion with a nursing team called Advanced Illness Management (AIM) and were admitted or placed in observation. ... 3377 patients met the inclusion criteria. ... Conclusions: There were positive findings in LOS, ICU, and cost with AIM consultation within 24 hours of presenting to the ED, when compared to waiting for a later consultation, supporting consideration of forward-placement of GOC discussion.

31 shocking confessions people made to their doctors and nurses on their deathbed BussFeed; by Hannah Marder; 11/12/25 Being on your deathbed puts everything into perspective, and sometimes, the dying have something big to get off their chests. No one knows this better than those who work with the dying, who bear witness to these disturbing confessions. ...Editor's Note: This BuzzFeed feature compiles unverified, anonymous accounts of “deathbed confessions” shared by clinicians online. While written for popular appeal, it touches a truth familiar to hospice and palliative professionals: dying patients often reveal deeply held truths when facing the end. We share it as a reminder that such moments call for clinical steadiness, ethical awareness, and the presence of board-certified chaplains—those uniquely trained to meet these revelations with compassion and care.