Literature Review

Unexpected Fatality Review Committee Report UFR-23-017Washington State Legislature; 2/27/24... The purpose of the unexpected fatality review is to develop recommendations for Department Of Corrections (DOC) and the legislature regarding changes in practices or policies to prevent fatalities and strengthen safety and health protections for incarcerated individuals in DOC’s custody. ... Consultative remarks that do not correlate to the cause of death but should be considered for review by the Department of Corrections: DOC should continue implementing the end-of-life care program. Editor's Note: 

Right-sizing interprofessional team training for serious-illness communication: A strength-based approach PEC Innvov, by Liana Eskola, Ethan Silverman, Sarah Rogers, Amy Zelenski; distributed 2/28/24Objective: Palliative care communication skills help tailor care to patients' goals. With a palliative care physician shortage, non-physicians must gain these serious illness communication skills. Historically, trainings have targeted physician-only groups; our goal was to train interprofessional teams.

Are we consulting, sharing care, or taking over? A conceptual frameworkPalliat Med Rep, by José Pereira, Christopher Klinger, Hsien Seow, Denise Marshall, Leonie Herx; 2/23/24Background: Primary- and specialist-level palliative care services are needed. They should work collaboratively and synergistically. Although several service models have been described, these remain open to different interpretations and deployment.Aim: This article describes a conceptual framework, the Consultation-Shared Care-Takeover (C-S-T) Framework, its evolution and its applications.

Surgeon shares biggest lesson: ‘Never underestimate the power of hope Mofitt Cancer Center, by Corrie Pellegrino; 2/27/24An Interview with Dr. Monica Avila. ...[Question] What is the biggest lesson you’ve learned from a patient?[Response] I think the biggest lesson is to never underestimate the power of hope and the power of the patients’ will to live. I’ve had patients literally placed on hospice care who I have taken to the operating room, had successful optimal debulking for ovarian cancer and who are living life right now after chemotherapy. So I never underestimate patients’ ability to keep going and keep living.

Kinship PACE enters greater Chicago marketConnectCRE Chicago & Midwest, by Jasmine Kilman; 2/26/24Cushman & Wakefield has arranged a new long-term 15,310 square-foot lease for Kinship PACE of Illinois at the Bricktown Square shopping mall in Chicago. Kinship PACE of Illinois is a program of all-inclusive care for the elderly (PACE). This latest lease marks Kinship Health’s first location in Illinois.

BONUS: 2024 Black History Quotes from "Today's Encouragement"

These lawmakers want more pot to be grown for researchCBS News, by Kathryn Watson; 2/27/24Representatives Andy Harris, Republican of Maryland, and Earl Blumenauer, Democrat of Oregon, agree on little related to the legalization of marijuana. Harris opposes it for recreational use and also thinks that as a medicine, it should be scaled back. Blumenauer is pushing for pot to be decriminalized. But the two agree on this — that researchers simply don't have enough access to more potent, high-quality weed, and more producers should be able to grow pot for research.

Is healthcare paying enough attention to nurse leaders?Becker's Clinical Leadership, by Erica Carbajal; 2/26/24 Early this year, the American Organization for Nursing Leadership Foundation released findings from more than 2,400 nurse leaders who were surveyed in November. Thirty-five percent of respondents indicated they were considering an exit from their roles: 12% said they intend to leave and 23% said they may leave within the next six months. When asked what the top reasons were for thinking about an exit, nurse leaders pointed to work having a negative affect on their health and well-being and not having the resources to do their job — a parallel to what bedside nurses consistently point to as drivers of burnout or reasons they've stepped away from the job. 

Addus more bullish on looming 80-20 rule, ready to ramp up M&A in 2024Home Health Care News, by Andrew Donlan; 2/27/24Addus HomeCare Corp. (Nasdaq: ADUS) leaders expressed noteworthy optimism in two areas Tuesday: the pending “80-20” rule and their M&A forecast for the near-term future. ... Based in Frisco, Texas, Addus provides personal care, home health care and hospice to more than 49,000 consumers via its 217 locations across 22 states.

Home health users have higher likelihood of hospice utilizationHome Health Care News, by Joyce Famakinwa; 2/26/24People who receive home health care during the last three years of their lives are more likely to utilize hospice care at the end of life. That’s according to a recent Rutgers Health study that was published in the Journal of Palliative Medicine. As part of the study, researchers examined a sample of over 2 million U.S. Medicare fee-for-service and Medicare Advantage beneficiaries who passed away in 2019, and were enrolled for at least three years before their death. What’s more, these older adults were more likely to use hospice compared to individuals who have never used home health care.

Embracing the platinum rule in palliative care: Treating patients the way they want to be treated Anschutz, by Tari Advani, MD; 2/26/24 One of the first take aways from this journey, for me, in a mid-career directional change from emergency medicine to palliative care was a move away from the golden rule and towards the platinum rule. Treat patients the way they want to be treated, not the way we want to be treated. It is so simple, it allows people to exist in their own context, with their own histories and their own wishes. And, we, as caretakers, take the kind of care of them that they want. Where had that idea been during the past 20 years of my career? How many situations had I judged, wrongly, based on my own preferences, not the preferences of the patient.

The future of end-of-life care: How advanced directives are revolutionizing patient autonomyBNN, by Mazhar Abbas; 2/23/24Discover hos advanced directives leverage AI, telemedicine, and patient-centered care to empower individuals in making informed end-of-life healthcare decisions, overcoming challenges, and shaping the future of healthcare.

[Maryland] Medical aid-in-dying bill short on votes, unlikely to pass Senate committeeMaryland Matters, by Danielle J. Brown; 2/26/24A controversial bill for medical aid-in-dying, which would allow qualifying terminally-ill patients to prompt their own death with the help of a physician, will likely be stalled for a least another year, as some senators “continue to wrestle” with the issue, Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee Chair Will Smith (D-Montgomery) said Monday night.