Literature Review
Fireproofing the soul: Navigating fear of the afterlife among palliative care patients
07/05/25 at 03:10 AMFireproofing the soul: Navigating fear of the afterlife among palliative care patientsJournal of Palliative Medicine; Ptr Shannon Blower, Jonathan Walker, Lucius Walker, Steven Radwany; 6/25Among palliative care patients, spiritual uncertainty about what may await them after death is a fairly common but often overlooked source of anxiety. Specifically, patients (especially those from orthodox Christian backgrounds that propound the concept of hell as a literal place) may harbor unexpressed fears about being consigned to hell due to the perceived sins they have committed in life. Such fears can be genuinely debilitating and may result in non-responsiveness to traditional palliative therapy. Here, we discuss our experiences with this phenomenon and propose some possible solutions. We offer readers suggestions for how to best identify potential sufferers, broach the subject with such patients, and reassure them.
Palliative care in the ICU: From oxymoron to standard of care
07/05/25 at 03:05 AMPalliative care in the ICU: From oxymoron to standard of careIntensive Care Medicine; Nancy Kentish-Barnes, Judith E. Nelson; 6/25 Palliative care can be integrated into intensive care through ICU clinicians and palliative care specialists, and these approaches are complementary and synergistic. One study found that proactive specialist involvement in ICU rounds for high-risk patients led to more and earlier family meetings and shorter hospital stays. However, collaboration challenges, such as continuity of communication, highlight the need for close team cooperation. The integrative model trains intensivists and ICU nurses to embed palliative care into routine practice, ideally starting in medical and nursing education. Research has shown that improved communication and support from intensivists and ICU nurses are associated with better bereavement outcomes for families, including reduced post-traumatic stress, anxiety, depression, and prolonged grief.
[Spain] “The good death”: Experience of parents who have suffered the loss of a child in a pediatric intensive care unit. A phenomenological study
07/05/25 at 03:05 AM[Spain] “The good death”: Experience of parents who have suffered the loss of a child in a pediatric intensive care unit. A phenomenological studyJournal of Pediatric Nursing; by Sara Alcón-Nájera, Rosa Blanca Ortiz-Pizarro, Elena Peña-Meléndez, Alberto Sánchez-Gallego, María Teresa González-GilThe ‘good death’ condenses experiences of parents into a constructive interpretation. It is characterised by the fact that it is participated, accompanied and honoured. It requires exquisite holistic care (emotional/social/relational and spiritual). It promotes a family-centered approach and emotional wellbeing of parents. The family's perception of a ‘good death’ is a powerful facilitator of bereavement. The experience of the death of a child in a Pediatric Intensive Care Unit must ensure a peaceful, dignified, and respectful death, accompanied and participated in by the family to achieve a “Good Death”. Evidence-based palliative and end-of-life care is essential for developing protocols and resources that ensure excellent support for families and their adaptation to the loss.
[Italy] Palliative Performance Scale predicts mortality in cardiac intensive care unit
07/05/25 at 03:00 AM[Italy] Palliative Performance Scale predicts mortality in cardiac intensive care unitOpen Heart; by Laura Sofia Cardelli, Lorenzo Gamberini, Beatrice Dal Passo, Silvia Zagnoni, Francesca Sciarra, Federica Frascaro, Alice Vitagliano, Valeria Carinci, Maria Laura Canale, Gianni Casella; 6/25Patients with PPS ≤70 had significantly higher 1-year all-cause mortality and in-hospital all-cause mortality. The PPS is a reliable and independent predictor of mortality in CICU patients. Incorporating PPS into clinical practice may enhance risk stratification, guide decision-making and optimise resource allocation in this high-risk population.
Saturday newsletters
07/05/25 at 03:00 AMSaturday newsletters focus on headlines and research - enjoy!
Medicare Advantage plan disenrollment: Beneficiaries cite access, cost, and quality among reasons for leaving
07/05/25 at 03:00 AMMedicare Advantage plan disenrollment: Beneficiaries cite access, cost, and quality among reasons for leavingHealth Affairs; by Geoffrey J. Hoffman, Lianlian Lei, Ishrat Alam, Myra Kim, Lillian Min, Zhaohui Fan, Deborah Levine; 6/25Medicare Advantage (MA) is growing in popularity, but it is seeing substantial plan disenrollments among high-risk Medicare beneficiaries. Understanding and addressing factors associated with disenrollment are crucial for improving MA access and quality but are complicated by data issues, including the inability to adequately assess beneficiaries’ perceptions of access and quality in MA... Difficulty accessing needed medical care was more strongly associated with MA-to–traditional Medicare exits than MA-to-MA plan switching. Dissatisfaction with access, cost, and quality was much more common for enrollees in poor health. These findings renew concerns about access to high-quality care for high-risk and other MA enrollees.
America the Beautiful ~ lyrics by Katharine Lee Bates, sung by Ray Charles
07/04/25 at 03:45 AMAmerica the Beautiful ~ lyrics by Katherine Lee Bates, with its historyAs sung by Ray Charles
The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but ...
07/04/25 at 03:40 AMThe ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy. ~ Martin Luther King, Jr.
In America, nobody says you have to ...
07/04/25 at 03:05 AMIn America, nobody says you have to keep the circumstances somebody else gives you. ~ Amy Tan, “The Joy Luck Club”
The happiness of America is intimately connected with ...
07/04/25 at 03:00 AMThe happiness of America is intimately connected with the happiness of all mankind; she is destined to become the safe and venerable asylum of virtue, of honesty, of tolerance, and quality and of peaceful liberty. ~ Marquis de Lafayette
The Earth and myself are of one mind. Perhaps you think ... If I thought you were sent by the Creator ...
07/04/25 at 03:00 AMThe Earth and myself are of one mind. Perhaps you think the Creator sent you here to dispose of us as you see fit. If I thought you were sent by the Creator I might be induced to think you had a right to dispose of me. ~ Chief Joseph, Nez Perce Tribe
I guess we all like to be recognized not for one piece of fireworks but for ...
07/04/25 at 03:00 AMI guess we all like to be recognized not for one piece of fireworks but for the ledger of our daily work. ~ Neil Armstrong
May we think of freedom, not as the right to do as we please, but as ...
07/04/25 at 03:00 AMMay we think of freedom, not as the right to do as we please, but as the opportunity to do what is right. ~ Peter Marshall
True heroism is remarkably ...
07/04/25 at 02:50 AMTrue heroism is remarkably sober, very undramatic. It is not the urge to surpass all others at whatever cost, but the urge to serve others at whatever cost. ~ Arthur Ashe
All great change in America begins at ...
07/04/25 at 02:40 AMAll great change in America begins at the dinner table. ~ Ronald Reagan
Where, after all, do universal human rights begin? ...
07/04/25 at 02:35 AMWith freedom comes responsibility. ~ Eleanor Roosevelt
I had no idea that history was being made. I was just ...
07/04/25 at 02:30 AMI had no idea that history was being made. I was just tired of giving up. ~ Rosa Parks
Those who deny freedom to others ...
07/04/25 at 02:20 AMThose who deny freedom to others deserve it not for themselves. ~ Abraham Lincoln
Remember, remember always, that all of us, and you and I especially, are ...
07/04/25 at 02:10 AMRemember, remember always, that all of us, and you and I especially, are descended from immigrants and revolutionists. ~ Franklin D. Roosevelt
America, you great unfinished symphony, you sent for me. ...
07/04/25 at 02:00 AMAmerica, you great unfinished symphony, you sent for me. You let me make a difference. A place where even orphan immigrants can leave their fingerprints and rise up. ~ Lin Manuel Miranda, as Alexander Hamilton, in Broadway's 2014 Hamilton
We hold these truths to be self-evident ...
07/04/25 at 01:15 AMWe hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator, with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. ~ The Declaration of Independence, 1776
July 4th Special Edition
07/04/25 at 01:00 AMWe hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator, with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. ~ The Declaration of Independence, 1776
CMS Age-Friendly Measure: Overview for hospitals and health systems
07/03/25 at 03:00 AMCMS Age-Friendly Measure: Overview for hospitals and health systems Institute for Healthcare Improvement; retrieved from the internet 7/2/25 Starting with the 2025 reporting period, hospitals will attest to providing age-friendly care through a new measure introduced by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). The CMS Age Friendly Hospital Measure advances the Age-Friendly Health Systems movement’s vision to ensure that all older adults receive age-friendly care that is evidence-based and aligns with what matters most to the older adult and their family caregivers. To date, nearly 5,000 sites of care have been recognized as Age-Friendly Health Systems — Participants and celebrated by IHI and The John A. Hartford Foundation. The measure has five domains that cover all four elements of age-friendly care, known as the 4Ms: What Matters, Medication, Mentation, and Mobility.
OSHA moves to end COVID-19 recordkeeping rules for healthcare employers
07/03/25 at 03:00 AMOSHA moves to end COVID-19 recordkeeping rules for healthcare employers McKnights Long-Term Care News; by Donna Shryer; 7/1/25 The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) this week proposed removing COVID-19 recordkeeping requirements for healthcare employers, including the last remaining provisions of its pandemic-era emergency safety rules. OSHA on Monday [6/30] released a proposed rule to eliminate the remaining recordkeeping and reporting provisions from its 2021 Emergency Temporary Standard for healthcare settings. The proposal would remove requirements for healthcare employers to maintain COVID logs tracking all employee cases and to report COVID-related hospitalizations and deaths to OSHA regardless of time elapsed since workplace exposure. These provisions currently apply to more than 562,000 healthcare entities employing more than 10.3 million workers. These entities include nursing homes, assisted living communities, continuing care retirement communities and home health agencies. These entities include nursing homes, assisted living communities, continuing care retirement communities and home health agencies.
TCN and HPCT Podcast: Plans of Care, Ethics, Robotics, and more! Top News Stories, June 2025
07/03/25 at 03:00 AMTCN & HPCT Podcast: Plans of Care, Ethics, Robotics, and more! Top News Stories, June 2025 Teleios Collaborative Network (TCN); podcast by Chris Comeaux with Cordt Kassner; 7/2/25 What makes Hospice special isn't magic—it's the masterful implementation of coordinated care plans that align interdisciplinary teams with patient priorities. This month's deep dive into June's most critical Hospice and Palliative Care developments explores how this "secret sauce" remains simultaneously the heart of our philosophy and our most common survey deficiency. In this episode of TCNtalks, host Chris Comeaux and Cordt Kassner, Publisher of Hospice & Palliative Care Today & CEO and Founder of Hospice Analytics, discuss relevant top news stories in Hospice and Palliative Care for June. They also explore technology's dual-edged potential, suggesting that AI and robotics should enhance, rather than replace, the human elements of Hospice Care. As Daniel Pink notes, "if a robot can replace you, you should be"—allowing us to focus our irreplaceable human capacity on meaningful connection rather than routine tasks.