Literature Review

AI in palliative and end-of-life care: "How new technology makes us feel is important" Marie Curie, by Dr. Ami Nwosu, Research Lead at the Marie Curie Hospice, Liverpool, UK; 4/11/24... People who require palliative and end of life care require specific physical, emotional, psychological and social needs, which requires holistic assessment and support. Although there are more opportunities to use AI technologies in palliative care, there may be concern from family caregivers that technology may be unable to provide the person-centered, human connection which may be desired when people are at their most vulnerable.

3 ways advance care planning empowers people TCPalm, Visiting Nurse Association, by Lauren Gruber; 4/10/24 ... National Healthcare Decisions Day on April 16th, which seeks to inspire, educate and empower the public and providers on the importance of health planning, is a prime opportunity to consider enrolling in an advance care plan. Identifying the right caregiving plans may seem daunting at first, but it’s important that patients solidify an advance care plan for the security and peace of mind of themselves and their loved ones. ... Here are three ways why choosing an advance care plan through the VNA can empower patients to ensure the best care possible during their health care journey:

AMA, AHIP, NAACOS outline value-based care best practices Modern Healthcare, by Nona Tepper; 4/10/24 Health insurers, physicians and accountable care organizations issued recommendations Wednesday outlining what they see as the best ways to boost value-based care initiatives. The report from the health insurance trade group AHIP, the American Medical Association and the National Association of ACOs focuses on total-cost-of-care contracts, ACOs that typically span three to five years and have demonstrated success improving quality and reducing costs, according to the organizations.

‘We’re the telescope looking forward’: Medical ethicists ask tough questions as part of $66 million research project CU Department of Medicine, by Mark Harden; 4/5/24 In the original “Jurassic Park” movie, after the process of bringing dinosaurs back to life is explained to a team of consultants, one of them voices a warning: “Your scientists were so preoccupied with whether or not they could, they didn’t stop to think if they should.” University of Colorado Department of Medicine faculty members will be asking the “should” question years before there’s an answer to “could.” They’ve joined in a nationwide study of whether tiny, battery-powered electric devices and genetic material, swallowed in capsule form, could one day replace surgery or injections as treatments for metabolic diseases such as diabetes and obesity.

Do end-of-life outcomes differ by assisted living memory-care designation?Journal of the American Geriatric Society, by Xiao Joyce Wang, Portia Y Cornell, Emmanuelle Belanger, Kali S Thomas; 4/24Residential care/assisted living (RC/AL) is an increasingly common place of end-of-life care for persons with Alzheimer's disease and related dementia (ADRD), who have unique care needs as their health declines. Approximately 22% of RC/ALs provide specialized memory care (memory-care RC/AL). Understanding how end-of-life outcomes differ by memory care among residents with ADRD could facilitate aging/dying in place for this population. The objective of this paper is to examine if end-of-life outcomes (i.e., mortality, hospice use, and number of days receiving hospice in the last month of life) differ between residents with ADRD who moved to memory-care RC/AL, compared with residents with ADRD who moved to RC/AL without memory care (general RC/AL).

Neuropsychiatric effects associated with opioid-based management for palliative care patientsCurrent Pain and Headache Reports, by Alan D Kaye, Kylie Dufrene, Jada Cooley, Madeline Walker, Shivam Shah, Alex Hollander, Sahar Shekoohi, Christopher L Robinson; 4/24The abundance of opioids administered in the palliative care setting that was once considered a standard of care is at present necessitating that providers evaluate patients for unintentional and deleterious symptomology related to aberrant opioid use and addiction. ... By having an increased understanding and awareness of potential opioid neuropsychiatric effects, patient quality of life can be improved, healthcare system costs can be decreased, and patient outcomes can be met and exceeded.

Bereaved Parent Support Study: Seeking Participants Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center/University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Cancer, St. Jude Children's Hospital, and Children's Hospital of Philadelphia; 4/2/24This program is offered as a research study examining three types of support for bereaved parents who have lost a child to cancer. This is a National Institutes of Health-funded trial taking place at Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center/University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, St. Jude Children's Hospital, and Children's Hospital of Philadelphia; however, families need not have received care from one of these institutions. ... For those assigned to receive counseling, services will be provided through videoconferencing, and all study activities can be completed from the participant’s home. ... There will be no charge for any support offered through the study. ... [Click on the title's link for more information.] Editor's Note: If your hospice does not have bereavement services tailored to the needs of parents who have lost a child, consider this opportunity for free support from these reputable sources. Click on the title's link for eligibility requirements and descriptions.

Fostering respect and appreciation seen as keys to retaining direct care workersMcKnights Online Forum, by Kimberly Bonvissuto; 3/27/24 Expressions of appreciation and respect can go a long way in addressing senior living’s direct care workforce crisis, according to a panel of direct workers and employers who addressed what makes employees want to stay — or go. ... Nate Hamme, president and executive director of the Ceca Foundation, ... said that the most important part of employee recognition is listening to people. ... He added that there is a science to recognition backed by research into what motivates people and implementing programs around that. ... Recognition programs, Hamme added, should focus on IMPACT: inclusive, mission-aligned, public, authentic, consistent and timely. 

Today's Heartwarming Story

The greatest teacher is not the one who imparts knowledge, but the one who inspires curiosity. ~Timotheus of Miletus

Exploring parent experiences with early palliative care practices in the NICUAdvances in Neonatal Care, by Megan Quinn, Sheila Gephart, Janice Crist; 4/24Parents' descriptions of decision-making were contextualized in gathering information to make a decision, the emotional impact of the decision, and influences on their decision-making. In experiences with care planning, parents described learning to advocate, having a spectator versus participant role, and experiencing care planning as communication. Key themes expressed regarding parental coping were exposure to trauma, survival mode, and a changing support network.

“To prescribe or not to prescribe, that is the question”: Perspectives on opioid prescribingfor chronic, cancer‐related pain from clinicians who treat pain in survivorshipCancer, by Hailey W Bulls, Megan Hamm, Julia Wasilewski, Donna Olejniczak, Sarah G Bell, Jane M Liebschutz; 4/24Opioid pain management in cancer survivorship is a complex and understudied topic. ... Participants suggested that opportunities to improve chronic cancer pain care include developing clear, systematic guidance for chronic cancer pain management, facilitating clinician communication and consultation, creating tailored survivorship care plans in partnership with patients, and developing accessible, evidence-based, complementary pain treatments.