Literature Review

Federal scientists conclude there is credible evidence for certain medical uses of marijuanaPolitico, by Natalie Fertig; 1/12/24The Department of Health and Human Services concluded that marijuana is less harmful than other dangerous drugs and that there is some evidence of its medical benefits in recommending loosening federal restrictions on the drug. For the last 60-plus years, cannabis has been classified as a Schedule I drug — the same as heroin — under the Controlled Substances Act, which means it’s a substance of high abuse potential and no accepted medical use. Bloomberg first reported in August that HHS had recommended marijuana be moved to Schedule III, and the release of these documents on Friday confirms that.Publisher note: The full FDA report can be found here.

CDC map shows dramatic increase in illness nationwide: See where it’s worstNexstar Media Wire News / The Hill, by Alix Martichoux; 1/5/24What a difference a week can make. New data released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Friday shows an 18% jump in people testing positive for influenza last week. The number of people going to the doctor with symptoms of respiratory illness — whether it be the flu, COVID, RSV, or none of the above — also continues to trend upward. Now, according to the CDC, 21 states and New York City are experiencing “very high” levels of sickness.

Journal of Aid-in-Dying MedicineAmerican Clinicians Academy on Medical Aid in Dying has begun a new journal; 12/23.The Journal of Aid-in-Dying Medicine is an independent, peer-reviewed journal focused on the clinical aspects of aid-in-dying care in the United States. Articles published in the Journal cover a wide range - from academically-detailed investigations to editorials and review articles, from poetry to photography/art. Authors will include clinicians ranging from doctors to doulas, pharmacists to chaplains, nurses to trained end-of-life volunteers.

Live discharge of hospice patients with Alzheimer’s Disease and related dementias: A systematic reviewAm J Hosp Palliat Care, by Stephanie P Wladkowski, Cara L Wallace, Kathryn Coccia, Rebecca C Hyde, Leslie Hinyard, Karla T Washington; 2/24Hospice is intended to promote the comfort and quality of life of dying patients and their families. When patients are discharged from hospice prior to death (ie, experience a "live discharge"), care continuity is disrupted. This systematic review summarizes the growing body of evidence on live discharge among hospice patients with Alzheimer's Disease and related dementias (ADRD), a clinical subpopulation that disproportionately experiences this often burdensome care transition.

Medical marijuana for pain management in hospice care as a complementary approach to scheduled opioids: A single arm studyAm J Hosp Palliat Care, by Theodore Zanker, Joseph Sacco, James Prota, Michelle Palma, Kyoung A Viola Lee, Ruixiao Rachel Wang, Yixuan Liang, James Cunningham, Mona Mackary, Polina Ovchinnikova; 12/23Combination medical cannabis/opioid therapy showed statistically significant pain relief and may have the potential for reducing opioid dose and mitigating opioid toxicity, offering a safe pain management alternative to opioids alone for patients in end-of-life care settings, and warrants further investigation in larger controlled trials.

Nurse and social worker palliative telecare team and quality of life in patients with COPD, heart failure, or interstitial lung disease: The ADAPT randomized clinical trialJAMA Network, by David B. Bekelman, MD, MPH; William Feser, MS; Brianne Morgan, BSN; Carolyn H. Welsh, MD; Elizabeth C. Parsons, MD; Grady Paden, MD; Anna Baron, PhD; Brack Hattler, MD; Connor McBryde, MD; Andrew Cheng, MD; Allison V. Lange, MD; David H. Au, MD, MS; 1/16/24Can a nurse and social worker palliative telecare team improve quality of life in outpatients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), heart failure (HF), and interstitial lung disease (ILD)? For adults with COPD, HF, or ILD at high risk of hospitalization and death and poor quality of life, a nurse and social worker palliative telecare team demonstrated clinically meaningful improvements in quality of life at 6 months.Publisher note: JAMA Network published two palliative care clinical trials in this issue (1: Default palliative care consultation for seriously ill hospitalized patients: A pragmatic cluster randomized trial, and 2: Nurse and social worker palliative telecare team and quality of life in patients with COPD, heart failure, or interstitial lung disease: The ADAPT randomized clinical trial). There is also an editorial on both of these articles: A tale of 2 palliative care trials: Developing sustainable and transferable models by Ashwin A. Kotwal, MD, MS; Lauren J. Hunt, RN, PhD; Alexander K. Smith, MD, MS, MPH, and an audio interview with Alexander K. Smith, MD, MS, MPH, Patient-centered palliative care.

Processes and lessons learned in establishing the Palliative Care Research Cooperative's Qualitative Data Repository in Serious Illness and Palliative CareOSF Preprints, by Salimah H. Meghani, Kim Mooney-Doyle, Amber Barnato, Kathryn Colborn, Riley Gillette, Krista Harrison, Pam Hinds, Dessi Kirilova, Kathleen Knafl, Dena Schulman-Green, Kathryn Pollak, Christine S. Ritchie, Jean Kutner, and Sebastian Karcher; 12/23Data sharing is increasingly an expectation in health research since implementation of the National In-stitutes of Health Data Management and Sharing Policy. Qualitative studies are not exempt from this data sharing requirement. Recognizing this trend, the Palliative Care Research Cooperative Group (PCRC) re-alized the value of creating a de-identified qualitative data repository to complement its existing de-identified quantitative data repository.

Substance use disorder in aging and serious illnessGeriPal podcast with Eric Widera, Alex Smith, Katie Fitzgerald Jones, Jessica Merlin, Devon Check; 1/18/24The CDC’s Guideline for Prescribing Opioids for Chronic Pain excludes those undergoing cancer treatment, palliative care, and end-of-life care. In doing so, it seems to give the impression that pain seen in cancer is inherently different than pain seen in other conditions and that those with cancer may not have the same risk for opioid use disorder as compared to other conditions.

St. Jude Home Care is first U.S. pediatric home health agency to earn new category of industry certificationPress release; 1/18/24St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital Home Care LLC earns dual certfication in pediatrics and home health from Community Health Accreditation Partners (CHAP), an independent, non-profit, accrediting body for home and community-based healthcare organizations. St. Jude Home Care LLC is the nation’s first agency to achieve that distinction. CHAP is the only organization in the U.S. that grants a discrete pediatric certification to home health agencies.

Role matters in understanding 'quality' in palliative care: a qualitative analysis of patient, caregiver and practitioner perspectivesBMJ Open, by Laura M Holdsworth, Karleen Giannitrapani, Raziel C Gamboa, Claire O'Hanlon, Nainwant Singh, Anne Walling, Charlotta Lindvall, Karl Lorenz; 1/17/24Objectives: To compare the discussions from two panels on the concept of palliative care quality for patients with advanced cancer, exploring the priorities reflected in each group's perspectives.

16 sustainable health care design examplesgb&d / Health Care, by Andrew Biro; 1/17/24WHO defines a sustainable health care facility as one that “improves, maintains, or restores health while minimizing negative impacts on the environment and leveraging opportunities to restore and improve it, to the benefit of the health and well-being of current and future generations.”Editor's Note: Does your organization plan to build any type of building? Examine these healthcare designs and guiding priniciples.

Traditions Health adds handful of home health veterans to leadership teamHome Health Care News, by Patrick Filbin; 1/17/24Traditions Health has added five new names to its leadership team, many of which are home health veterans ... 

15 most common reasons CMS cited a hospital in 2023Becker's Clinical Leadership, by Paige Twenter; 1/17/24Accreditation organizations, including The Joint Commission and DNV Healthcare, completed nearly 4,000 surveys in 2023. [Click on the article for a list of the top 15 citations.]