Literature Review

Concerning new data on female physician suicide Medscape Medical News; by Pauline Anderson; 2/28/25 Suicide rates for female physicians in the United States between 2017-2021 were 47% higher than for women in the general population, results of a retrospective cohort study showed. Unlike their female counterparts, male physicians had a lower rate for suicide relative to the general male population, investigators found. “The results indicate we need added multimodal and comprehensive suicide prevention specific for physicians,” lead study author Hirsh Makhija, MS, postgraduate researcher, Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego School of Medicine, told Medscape Medical News. ... The findings were published online on February 26 in JAMA Psychiatry. 

Nurse leaders can take the lead in promoting civility in the workplace Oncology Nurse Advisor; by Susan Rux, PhD, DNP, RN, FACHE; 2/28/25 Civility, the act of respecting others, especially in situations where disagreement or disparity may arise, occurs by intentionally displaying kindness and empathy. These behaviors help people to understand differences as well as uphold common ground across all social contexts. A stable foundation, afforded through civil actions, serves as a catalyst in achieving environments that promote diversity, equity, and inclusivity — the underpinnings of a culture of belonging. Nurse leaders can play a key role in creating this culture. Contrary to civility, in the healthcare setting, acts of incivility lead to increased levels of staff disengagement and turnover. Researchers have noted that a civil nursing workplace provides a safeguard against numerous professional issues, including but not limited to increased turnover rates, burnout, job dissatisfaction, and stress.

Medical student brings music to end-of-life care CBS News Mornings; by Elizabeth Cook, Analisa Novak; 3/4/25 Melanie Ambler, a Stanford medical student, uses music to comfort patients in palliative care, composing songs based on their life stories. Her work, which blends medicine and the arts, has caught the attention of leading researchers and changed her own perspective on life and death. ... [After asking the perons meaningful, relevant questions about their life, Melanie composes personalized music on the spot, in the moment. Like,]  "transport me to your favorite place on earth," or "what are you famous for within your friends or your family," and when I get that response I then can accentuate some of the drama or the emotions or the personality and energy that the patient and the family share with me. You enter these patients' lives at the end of their life. 

4 strategies to build trust in new technologies and drive meaningful change Kyndryl; by Farhaz Thobani; 3/3/25 Four strategies every organization can use to build trust in new technologies and drive successful transformation:

Qualitative analysis through the lens of minority nurses American Nurse; by Sonya Moore, PhD, RN, CRNA; Carolyn Still, PhD, RN; and Siobhan Aaron, PhD, RN; 3/4/25 Many argue that experiences of discrimination, racism, and microaggression (intentional or unintentional) serve as key barriers to the recruitment and retention of diverse nurses. Iheduru-Anderson, who interviewed 30 Black nurses, noted that despite an increase in the number of Black nurses in the U.S. workforce over time, they remain significantly underrepresented in leadership and faculty positions. The study identified several themes that contribute to lack of advancement, including maintaining White comfort, distrust, lack of role models and representation, expectations about leadership roles, and the ineffectiveness of advanced degrees in securing advancement. 

VNA Hospice NWI celebrates staff, volunteers and community at annual dinner banquet NWI.Life; by Garrett Spoor; 3/4/25 For more than half a century, VNA Hospice NWI has been assisting seniors in Northwest Indiana with hospice care and the Meals on Wheels program. The organization hosted its Annual Dinner and Awards banquet on Monday, March 3, ... “The big purpose of the annual dinner is to thank all the people who made last year possible,” [Maria Galka, director of development] said. “It’s a great opportunity for us to show our appreciation for the staff, volunteers and our supporters. We present our annual report from the past fiscal year and look forward to what's coming in the new year.” ... VNA Hospice NWI was presented with a check for $32,798 from Don Quijote Restaurante to support VNA Meals on Wheels. The Legion Riders Post #94 provided a check for $12,500 for the VNA Hospice NWI. The dinner presented plenty of awards and scholarships to recognize some of the attendees ...Editor's note: What appreciation events and awards/recognitions do your organization regularly provide for your employes, volunteers, and community? Click on this article's title to explore the scope of this organization's highly valued Annual Dinner and Awards. When you have events such as these, remember to take provide "take-out" food for your employees who are duty elsewhere, like your on-call office and hospice inpatient care.

Exploring the role of AI in palliative care and decision-making Penn Today; by Erica Moser; 2/28/25 Oonjee Oh [nursing Ph.D studen] was the lead author on the paper “The ethical dimensions of utilizing Artificial Intelligence in palliative care,” which published in the journal Nursing Ethics in November. ... The paper applies the moral principles of beneficence, nonmaleficence, autonomy, justice, and explicability to examine the ethical dimensions of three hypothetical use cases: machine learning algorithms that predict patient mortality, natural language processing models that capture the signals of psychological distress from clinical notes, and chatbots that provide informational and emotional support to caregivers.

Lent comes providentially to reawken us, to shake us from our lethargy. ~ Pope Francis Honoring Ash Wednesday, the worldwide ushering in of Lent 2025

Patient put in hospice at 52 celebrates life years after admission, thanks to heart surgery KCTV-5, Kansas City, MO; by Morgan Riddell; 2/27/25 A local man with heart failure who was told numerous times he only had months to live now has a new outlook on life two years later. ... It started in 2023. Sam Edwards, who was diagnosed with ALS after serving in the military, started experiencing new pains. He went to doctors who all determined Sam was just experiencing issues related to ALS. Then, a doctor at the VA Hospital noticed some tests were off and found Sam was experiencing heart failure. What he needed was open heart surgery, but doctors determined the risk of putting Sam on the operation table was too high. Not only was he at risk of having a stroke and dying on the operating table, but his recovery would also be months long and painful. They declined to do the surgery at the VA and suggested Sam go get a second opinion. This is when he was connected with Dr. Michael Gibson.Editor's note: While we in the palliative and hospice field promote earlier admissions to care and elimination of overtreatment, another side of the coin exists. Click on the title's link to read more about this hospice patient who sought out a second opinion. Imagine: the hospice patient is you (at age 52); or a family member; or a best friend. Especially as AI becomes more prevalent in assessing palliative and hospice referrals, we must see the bigger picture and retain human element. 

My mother and brother have terminal cancer. I'm worried I won't feel anything when they die. Business Insider; essay by Kimanzi Constable; 3/1/25 ... My brother was diagnosed with Cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (CTCL) three years ago, and my mother found out she had stage four lung cancer a year ago. I got a call earlier this year that the cancer was spreading, and I flew to spend time with them. I knew it would be hard seeing them battling late-stage cancer, but what I walked into was my brother in the Advanced Cancer Care Center, unable to move, and my mother wanting to hold an "end of life" planning meeting. It was worse than I anticipated. It was hard to see him not moving and the nurses having to help him do everything. My mother looked like she weighed 50 pounds ... I'm worried I won't feel anything when they pass away. ... I think it might be just another day when they pass away. I've been thinking — what does that say about me? Am I a bad person for not falling on the ground and losing it for over half of my family dying? Or is this nothingness an OK feeling due to the complicated relationship we've had most of my life? ... Editor's note: Leaders, welcome to the daily world of your clinicians, especially your social workers, chaplains, and grief counselors. Read this with openness to the normalcy of this author's conflicted relationships, emotions, thoughts, and empowered actions toward "not wanting to regret how I handled this opportunity to say goodbye more healthily."

Charges dismissed against chef accused of trying to kill his Monterey county mother KSBW Action News-8, Monterey, CA; by Felix Cortez; 2/28/25 A popular San Francisco area chef who was arrested along with his sister and charged with trying to kill their mother more than two years ago has had attempted murder charges dismissed against him. “In over 30 years of practice, this was one of the saddest cases I have ever seen and one of the most incompetent investigations by the Monterey County Sheriff’s Department that I have ever seen,” said Juliet Peck, the attorney for James Stolich. ... The mother was terminally ill and lived on a ranch off Highway 68 outside Salinas. “James’ mother’s only wish was to die at home without pain, surrounded by her daughter, son, and pets,” Peck said. But that never happened; Tinker died about a week later in a hospice facility, never to see her children again, because an emergency protective order obtained by the sheriff’s office prevented the children from visiting their dying mother. ... According to court documents, the daughter, Whitney, was the “agent designated to make all health care decisions for her mother,” which included administering medication to help alleviate her mother’s pain. ...The original criminal complaint alleging attempted murder charges said Whitney or a co-conspirator “crushed up pills with a mallet.” A close friend of Tinker was willing to testify that Whitney had no intent to kill her mother but was simply following her mother’s “directive to provide effective and sufficient palliative care even if it hastened her death.”Editor's note: This case raises numerous issues, including but not limited to community education (including law enforcement), Advance Directives, patient and caregiver education and support, MAiD (Medical Aid in Dying) or the End Of Life Option Act (EOLOA) in California, ethics, and the dying process (note that "the mother died about a week later in a hospice facility). 

Humana selects Thyme Care for oncology services MociHealthNews and HIMSS Media; by Anthony Vecchione; 3/3/25 Humana has unveiled an agreement with value-based cancer care platform Thyme Care with the aim of providing oncology support for its Medicare Advantage (MA) members. The agreement impacts MA members who reside in Michigan, New York, Illinois, Indiana, Tennessee, Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Eligible Humana members will have access to Thyme Care’s services, which include 24/7 virtual care navigation. Additionally, patients will be connected to a care team made up of oncology nurses, nurse practitioners, social workers and resource specialists. Thyme Care's team will provide medication guidance, urgent care support, chronic condition management and palliative care support.