Literature Review

I think the good and the great are only separated by the willingness to sacrifice. — Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

Predicting end-of-life in a hospital settingJournal of Multidisciplinary Healthcare, by Gezy Weita Giwangkancana, Heni Nur Anina, Hadyana Sukandar; 2/9/24(Indonesia) [Early Warning Score] and decreased consciousness are significant predictors of in-hospital mortality. It is crucial in clinical setting to use multiple indicators to predict death and improve patient care.

Ethics at the end of life in the newborn intensive care unit: Conversations and decisionsSeminars in Fetal and Neonatal Medicine, by Mark R. Mercurio, Lynn Gillam; 6/23The unexpected birth of a critically ill baby raises many ethical questions for neonatologists. Some of these are obviously ethical questions, about whether to attempt resuscitation, and, if the baby is resuscitated and survives, whether to continue life sustaining interventions. Other ethical decisions are more related to what to say rather than what to do. Although less obvious, they are equally as important, and may also have far-reaching ramifications... This may serve as a helpful guide for ethical deliberation, and helpful scripting for parental discussion, in similar cases.

What aspects of quality of life are important from palliative care patients’ perspectives? A framework analysis to inform preference‑based measures for palliative and end‑of-life settingsThe Patient - Patient-Centered Outcomes Research, by Nikki McCaffrey, Julie Ratcliffe, David Currow, Lidia Engel, Claire Hutchinson; 11/23Existing, popular, preference-based outcome measures such as the EQ-5D do not incorporate the most important, patient-valued, quality-of-life domains in the palliative and end-of-life settings. Development of a new, more relevant and comprehensive preference-based outcome measure could improve the allocation of resources to patient-valued services and have wide applicability internationally.

Drugs, delirium, and ethics at the end of lifeJournal of the American Geriatric Society, by Columba Thomas, MD; Yesne Alici, MD; William Breitbart, MD; Eduardo Bruera, MD; Liz Blackler, MBE, LCSW-R; Daniel P. Sulmasy MD, PhD; 1/24For older persons with delirium at the end of life, treatment involves complextrade-offs and highly value-sensitive decisions. The principles of beneficence,nonmaleficence, respect for autonomy, and justice establish important parametersbut lack the structure necessary to guide clinicians in the optimal management ofthese patients. We propose a set of ethical rules to guide therapeutics—the canonsof therapy—as a toolset to help clinicians deliberate about the competing concernsinvolved in the management of older patients with delirium at the end of life.

Disparities in the geographic distribution of palliative care specialists in 2022Journal of General Internal Medicine, by Julia L Frydman, Karen McKendrick, Yingtong Chen, Jonathan Wun, Nathan E Goldstein, R Sean Morrison, Laura P Gelfman; 2/12/24In 2022, the number of HPM board-certified clinicians was 8,935 (6,448 = physicians (72.2%); 2,487 = NPs (27.8%)), which represents 0.7% of the NP workforce and 0.6% of the physician workforce... Our study highlights the uneven geographic distribution of board-certified HPM clinicians, which depends on state, metropolitan status, and area-level SES. 

When we’re talking about diversity, it’s not a box to check. It is a reality that should be deeply felt and held and valued by all of us. — Ava DuVernay

House of Delegates considering SB 280, Medical Aid in Dying The Connection to Your Community, by Mercia Hobson; 2/20/24Virginia is a battleground state within itself. State legislators are fiercely divided concerning proposed legislation, SB 280. If passed, it would allow an eligible adult diagnosed with a terminal disease to request an attending health care provider to prescribe a fatal dose of a controlled substance to be self-administered for the purpose of ending the patient's life. Senate Bill 280, one of the two Virginia bills concerning Death with Dignity, passed passed the Senate. Its companion, House Bill 858, which was originally "put on hold for the day," failed in committee.

Psychological issues in palliative care: Elissa Kozlov and Des AzizoddinGeriPal podcast, by Alex Smith; 2/22/24Today we talk with two psychologists who are deeply invested in addressing psychological aspects of care for people living with serious illness. Elissa Kozlov, a geropsychologist and director of a new population aging MPH at Rutgers, surveyed AAHPM members, and found that doctors reported major shortcomings in level of comfort and knowledge caring for patients with psychological illness. She conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of 38 palliative care trials, finding that many excluded people with serious illness, and a lack of impact on psychological outcomes.  Analyzing the Health and Retirement Study, she found 60% of older adults screened positive for depression in the last year of life.

Health systems bucking IT outsourcing trend Becker's Health IT, by Naomi Diaz; 2/19/24The role and size of information technology departments within health systems play a crucial role in shaping the organization's technological infrastructure. And despite a growing trend toward outsourcing IT functions, many health systems continue to maintain robust in-house teams.

Transaction: Legacy Care Partners acquires Superior Home Health; SSM Health promotes Health at Home ArmNation World News Desk; 2/21/24Legacy Care Partners – which also owns Advanced Home Care – has acquired Superior Home Health and Superior Hospice of Texas. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

'One more moment' singer Cat Janice, 31, shares heartbreaking health update weeks after her song to help son through diagnosis went viralThe U.S. Sun, by Olivia Salamone; 2/21/24... Janice underwent surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation and was told that she was cancer-free in July 2022. However, in June 2023, she announced that the disease had come back, this time in her lungs. ... The singer has continued to make music throughout her cancer battles. ... "Dance You Out Of My Head" ... made it to the top 10 worldwide songs on iTunes, and ... number one on TikTok Billboard Top 50. ... The musician transferred the song rights to her son, Loren "which means all the proceeds for the now-viral hit (along with the rest of her catalog) will go directly into his bank account," the outlet continued. ..."I don’t want to die. But I’ve had a really wonderful life, and I got to have this really incredible last moment, and I thank God for it." The U.S. Sun has reached out to Cat Janice for comment and her husband Kyle Higginbotham for an update.