Literature Review

Rosalynn Carter’s impact on caregiversKevin MD Blog, by R. Lynn Barnett; 12/25/23... As caregivers, we are the voice for others, but we also need to be a voice for ourselves. ... I wasn’t prepared, as many people aren’t, for the fiscal and physical aspects of caregiving. ... The toll that caregiving can take is often underrated, understated, and under-appreciated. ... Rosalynn Carter was known as a “Steel Magnolia,” showing the same inner fortitude and mettle, combined with grace, of the main characters in the film of the same name. I think all of us caregivers become steel magnolias. It’s not that we deserve a medal for our actions; we just deserve a little peace.[Editor's Note, Joy Berger for Hospice and Palliative Care Today: Rosalynn Carter founded the Institute for Caregiving 35 years ago, preparing for the surge of Baby Boomers' aging and caregiving needs. Her memorable quote lives on: "There are only four kinds of people in the world--those who have been caregivers, those who are currently caregivers, those who will be caregivers, and those who will need caregivers." Visit www.rosalynncarter.org for more information.]

Disparities in election, access, and outcomes in Medicare end-of-life care: A national studyInnovation in Aging, by Thomas Christian, Michael Plotzke, Mariana Sarango Cancel, Catherine Hersey, and Zinnia Harrison; 12/23We examined whether end-of-life care racial disparities persist even within groups with similar geographic access and health care options. We reviewed calendar year (CY)2021 fee-for-service Medicare claims to determine if a beneficiary ever: elected hospice, had an end-of-life care conversation with their physician, and/or received advanced care planning services. ... We found no substantial racial/ethnic disparities in recorded advance care plans or end-of-life conversations.

Oncology hospitalist impact on hospice utilizationCancer, by Elizabeth Prsic, Jensa C. Morris, Kerin B. Adelson, Nathaniel A. Parker, Erin A. Gombos, Mathew J. Kottarathara, Madison Novosel, Lawrence Castillo, Bonnie E. Gould Rothberg; 12/23Patients with advanced cancer are often admitted to the hospital near the end of life. These patients generally have a poor chance of long‐term survival and may prefer comfort‐focused care with hospice. In this study, oncology hospitalists discharged a higher proportion of patients to inpatient hospice with less time spent in the hospital before discharge.

Measuring the impact of AI in the diagnosis of hospitalized patientsJAMA Network, by Sarah Jabbour, MSE; David Fouhey, PhD; and Stephanie Shepard, PhD; Thomas S. Valley, MD; Ella A Kazerooni, MD, MS; Nikola Banovic, PhD; Jenna Wiens, PhD; Michael W. Sjoding, MD; 12/23In this multicenter randomized clinical vignette survey study, diagnostic accuracy significantly increased by 4.4% when clinicians reviewed a patient clinical vignette with standard AI model predictions and model explanations compared with baseline accuracy. However, accuracy significantly decreased by 11.3% when clinicians were shown systematically biased AI model predictions and model explanations did not mitigate the negative effects of such predictions.

"Study hard, for the well is deep and our brains are shallow" ~Richard Baxter

Case Series: Emergency Department Palliative CareJournal of Palliative Medicine; 2023JPM is proud to present a case series on the use of palliative care in the emergency department. The six cases included in this series were collected by the Emergency Palliative Care Working Group and cover various situations involving palliative care usage, such as acute presentation of a nonsurvivable condition, hospice patients in the emergency department, etc.

Nursing homes invest in campaigns, reap millions in taxpayer moneyIowa Capital Dispatch, by Clark Kauffman; 1/2/24Audio recordings and financial documents reveal the industry’s political clout.

My father, the giant: His life's work was caring for the people he lovedThe Atlantic, by Ross Andersen; 1/3/24Yesterday afternoon, my dad, Erik Dybkaer Andersen, lay sleeping at home in his hospice bed when a calm settled over his body and he drew his last breath. He was 78. For more than a year, we had known that cancer would take him; only the hour was uncertain. But it is still a shock to find him missing from his bedroom, from his family, from the world. It is too early to measure, much less put into writing, all that he meant to us. For now, I want only to read his life into the record, and to get across his essence, above all as a caretaker of those he loved.Editor's Note: Access to the full article requires a free trial or subscription to The Atlantic.

What is Palliative Care?Money, by Bianca Rodriguez Rojas; 1/4/24Palliative care is a healthcare approach that aims to provide comfort and improve the quality of life of people diagnosed with a serious or life-threatening disease such as cancer, heart failure or Parkinson’s.Editor's Note: Interesting this appeared in Money magazine...

Financial hardship drives unhappiness in people living with dementia, study findsMcKnights Long-Term Care News, by Kristen Fischer; 1/4/24A new study is uncovering just how tough it can be financially to live with dementia. The report, published Dec. 29 in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, found that nearly 56% of people with dementia face financial hardships. Those financial challenges are linked with worse reported satisfaction with life and healthcare. ... The study examined data from 534 participants with dementia who shared details on satisfaction with their lives and their healthcare. The researchers compared that data to information from questionnaires from 576 people who were newly diagnosed with cancer and receiving treatment.

Nursing home struggles expected to worsen hospital backlogsMcKnights Long-Term Care News, by Josh Henreckson; 1/4/24Nursing homes’ familiar struggles with insufficient staffing and insurance reimbursements are contributing to growing backlogs of patients awaiting throughput from hospitals to post-acute care across the US. Those waitlists are set to grow more congested in 2024 and cause even bigger disruption throughout the US healthcare system, according to recent state-level reports.Editor's Notes: Hospice leaders, how might your organization help reduce these backlogs and delays?

St. Luke's merger will be 'the first of many' M&A deals in the hospital sector this yearMedCity News, by Katie Adams, 1/4/24On New Year’s Day, two Missouri health systems — St. Louis-based BJC HealthCare and Kansas City-based St. Luke’s Health System — officially completed their merger. The deal, which was first announced last May, combines the two organizations into one integrated academic health system. The merger was one of the biggest hospital M&A deals announced last year. The combined health system comprises 28 hospitals and hundreds of clinics serving 6 million people across Missouri, Illinois and Kansas. It is expected to generate $10 billion in annual revenue.