Literature Review

How do people in prison access palliative care? A scoping review of models of palliative care delivery for people in prison in high-income countriesPalliative Medicine, by Emma Gilbert, Nick De Viggiani, Joana de Sousa Martins, Tanuka Palit, Jessica Sears, Daniel Knights, Audrey Roulston, Mary Turner, Lucy E Selman; 4/24We identified a typology of three models of care delivery for people in prison in high-income countries: (1) Embedded hospice model, typified by an interdisciplinary team and volunteer caregivers providing care on-site; (2) Outsourcing Care model, in which end-of-life care is provided outside the prison; (3) Collaborative community model, which involves prisons engagement with other healthcare facilities or practitioners. ... Embedded hospice models in the USA are prevalent and demonstrate promising evidence for enhancing the care experience for recipients and peer caregivers. Chaplains, social workers and peer caregivers provide psychosocial support, yet documented assessment and strategies for managing the distinctive needs of this group and their families are lacking, despite their acknowledged complexity.

Strategies to enhance the affordability of hospice and palliative care servicesDigital Commons @ University of South Florida - Annual Undergraduate Research Conference, by Jhanav Sabharwali, Roy Chen, Valerie Vargas Ardila (mentor Dr. Irene Hurst); 4/24This research aims to find efficient solutions to aid affordability in vulnerable populations, specifically the hospice and palliative care population.Publisher's note: Interesting topic for an undergraduate research conference!

Rural-urban disparities and trends in utilization of palliative care services among US patients with metastatic breast cancerJournal of Rural Health, by Jincong Q Freeman, Adam W Scott, Ted O Akhiwu; 2/24In this national, racially diverse sample of patients with metastatic breast cancer, the utilization of palliative care services increased over time, though remained suboptimal. Further, our findings highlight rural-urban disparities in palliative care use and suggest the potential need to promote these services while addressing geographic access inequities for this patient population.

Factors associated with early palliative care among patients with heart failurePalliative Medicine, by Caroline P Meehan, Emily White, Alexander CVitan, Lan Jiang, Wen-Chih Wu, Mitchell Wice, Jensy Stafford, James L Rudolph; 4/24While more than 20% of HF patients in our cohort had PC well in advance of death, more than half died without PC. PC involvement seemed to be driven by comorbidities rather than HF. Effective collaboration with Cardiology is needed to identify patients who would benefit from earlier PC involvement.

Stillwater Hospice earns SAGECare credential for LGBTQ+ care 89.1 WBOI News - Fresh Air; by Ella Abbott; 4/18/24 Stillwater Hospice received a platinum level SAGECare credential this week, making it the only hospice agency in Indiana to have received the training-based credential. A SAGECare credential shows that the hospice team has been trained on LGBTQ+ aging cultural competency. Stillwater CEO Leslie Friedel said an advocate from the community reached out to them, recommending they work to get the training in order to create safe, local healthcare. “We started to look into it and it aligned so closely with our values," she said. "One of our core values at Stillwater is inclusivity and we felt like this was a way to really live in our values.” Friedel said it’s important for hospice staff to understand issues specific to that community because by 2030, experts expect around 7 million LGBTQ+ people 65 or older nationally.

Comparative effectiveness of acupuncture vs massage for relieving pain in patients with advanced cancer The ASCO Post; by Jun J. Mao, MD, MSCE and Andrew S. Epstein, MD; 4/17/24... The IMPACT study was conducted at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and regional sites in New York, New Jersey, and Florida to evaluate the long-term comparative effectiveness of acupuncture vs massage for pain in patients with advanced cancer. ... The primary outcome—change in worst pain intensity score from baseline to 26 weeks—was measured using the Brief Pain Inventory (BPI ranging from 0–10; higher numbers indicate worse pain intensity or interference). The secondary outcomes included fatigue, insomnia, and quality of life. ... To use these therapies, it is important to seek credentialed practitioners who have training or experience in working with patients who have cancer. 

Summaries: FFY 2025 Hospice, Inpatient Rehabilitation Facility, Skilled-Nursing Facility Medicare Payment Rules California Hospital Association, 4/17/24 What’s happening: Summaries of the hospice wage index, inpatient rehabilitation facility (IRF) prospective payment system (PPS), and skilled-nursing facility (SNF) PPS proposed rules are now available.What else to know: Comments on the proposed rules are due by May 28. The members-only summaries, from Health Policy Alternatives, Inc., describe proposals for the post-acute care Medicare prospective payment systems for federal fiscal year 2025: 

Rate growth slows for SNFs, home care McKnights Senior Living, by Kathleen Steele Gaivin; 4/17/24 Rates for both nursing home care and home healthcare grew more slowly in March than in February, according to Altarum’s monthly Health Sector Economic Indicators brief, released Tuesday. Nursing home rates increased by 4%, year over year, compared with 4.4% in February, while rates for home healthcare grew by 3.1%, down from 3.4% in February, George Miller, Altarum fellow and senior researcher, told the McKnight’s Business Daily on Tuesday. 

Will Assisted Dying in Europe impact Living With Dignity? Medscape, by Sara Freeman; 4/17/24 BUDAPEST — Only a handful of European countries have legislation in place that decriminalizes the act of physician-assisted dying for certain patients, such as those who are terminally ill. But in recent months, public debates on the topic have been on the rise. ... This was a topic of discussion at the annual meeting of the 32nd European Congress of Psychiatry (EPA 2024) in a session titled "Psychiatry and Physician-Assisted Dying: Europe — Is Diversity Needed?" [Click on the title's link for summaries about the following countries.]

Today you are you, that is truer than true. There is no one alive that is youer than you. — Dr. Seuss

Longview Marines honored for helping fellow veterans during their time in hospice care CBS 19 Tyler, TX; by Alan Kasper and Zak Wellerman; 4/18/24 A Longview hospice took time to recognize some very valuable volunteers Wednesday afternoon. Members of AccentCare Hospice & Palliative Care in Longview honored two Marines Corp. veterans who volunteer their time and help fellow veterans going through hospice care. Vietnam War veterans Jim Jones and Will Haggard have spent the past 12 years as part of a contingent from the Longview Marine Corp League, meaning they help make their last moments better for those in hospice care. ... Pam Fletcher, AccentCare Hospice executive director, said the hospice facility appreciates having volunteers like Jones, Haggard and others. 

The Promise and Pitfalls of AI in Medicine: Guest Bob WachterGeriPal Podcast, by Eric Widera and Alex Smith, with Bob Wachter; 4/18/24Our guest today is Bob Wachter, Chair of Medicine at UCSF and author of the Digital Doctor: Hope, Hype, and Harm at the Dawn of Medicine’s Computer Age.  Bob recently wrote an essay in JAMA on AI and delivered a UCSF Grand Rounds on the same topic.Publisher's note: An interesting exchange. With apologies for the lenght, this portion of the transcript caught my eye: