Literature Review

Learn from yesterday, live for today, and hope for tomorrow. The important thing is not to stop questioning. ~Albert Einstein

Thanksgiving Day is a good day to recommit our energies to giving thanks and just giving. ~Amy Grant

Differences in drug shortages in the US and CanadaJAMA; Mina Tadrous, PharmD, PhD; Katherine Callaway Kim, MPH; Inmaculada Hernandez, PharmD, PhD; Scott D. Rothenberger, PhD; Joshua W. Devine, PharmD, PhD; Tina B. Hershey, JD, MPH; Lisa M. Maillart, PhD; Walid F. Gellad, MD, MPH; Katie J. Suda, PharmD, MS; 10/24There are persistent global drug shortages, in part because drug-related supply chains are increasingly globalized; these drug shortages are associated with delayed or missed treatment and adverse outcomes. In addition, pandemics and natural disasters disrupt global drug production, further affecting supply chains. [In this study] drug-related reports of supply chain issues were 40% less likely to result in meaningful drug shortages in Canada compared with the US. These findings highlight the need for international cooperation between countries to curb the effects of drug shortages and improve resiliency of the supply chain for drugs.

Health professions students’ reflections about principles of interprofessional collaboration after shadowing interprofessional palliative care roundsAmerican Journal of Hospice and Palliative Medicine; Jeannette Kates, PhD, APRN, FPCN; Ceasia Brown, BA; Jenna Campolieto, BA; Maria Brucato, PhD; 10/24Future healthcare professionals are educated on collaborative practice methods through interventions that may include shadowing. While shadowing allows students to learn from and about other health professions, it often fails to offer an opportunity for the student to work and collaborate with other health professionals. These results suggest that shadowing offers an opportunity to identify and learn interprofessional competencies in interprofessional palliative care curricula, as made evident through student reflection assignments.

Willingness to be present throughout patient death via medical aid in dying in a national sample of interdisciplinary US hospice clinicians: a content analysis of rationalesPalliative Care and Social Practice; Todd D. Becker, Cindy L. Cain, John G. Cagle, Joan K. Davitt, Nancy Kusmaul, Paul Sacco; 10/24 The United States is one of a growing number of countries across Europe, North America, Oceania, and South America to have legalized what, domestically, is referred to as medical aid in dying (MAID). The objective of the current study was to explore attitudes toward presence throughout a patient’s death via MAID in hospice physicians, nurses, social workers, and chaplains. Participants who were willing to be present (n = 305 [74%]) attributed their willingness to personal support, definitions of quality clinical care, and values from their professional training. Those who were unwilling (n = 63 [15%]) noted personal objections to the concept of MAID, personal objections to MAID participation, and perceptions of MAID’s misalignment with healthcare. Hospice clinicians would benefit from greater professional guidance and support pertaining to MAID.

Facility- and community-level factors associated with hospice patient experiencePalliative and Supportive Care; by Mengying He, Ganisher Davlyatov, Gregory Orewa, Haiyan Qu, Robert Weech-Maldonado; 11/24For-profit and chain-affiliated hospices were negatively associated with CAHPS® scores. Organizational longevity and Medicare payer mix were positively associated with CAHPS® scores. Hospice community factors including competition, per capita income, and the racial/ethnic minorities' percentage were negatively associated with CAHPS® scores.

Artificial intelligence and machine learning in cancer pain: A systematic reviewJournal of Pain and Symptom Management; by Vivian Salama, Brandon Godinich, Yimin Geng, Laia Humbert-Vidan, Laura Maule, Kareem A Wahid, Mohamed A Naser, Renjie He, Abdallah S R Mohamed, Clifton D Fuller, Amy C Moreno; 12/24Forty four studies from 2006 to 2023 were included. Implementation of AI/ML tools promises significant advances in the classification, risk stratification, and management decisions for cancer pain. Further research focusing on quality improvement, model calibration, rigorous external clinical validation in real healthcare settings is imperative for ensuring its practical and reliable application in clinical practice.

Saturday newsletters focus on headlines and research - enjoy!

[Canada] Feasibility of prospective error reporting in home palliative care: A mixed methods studyPalliative Medicine; Allison M Kurahashi, Grace Kim, Natalie Parry, Vivian Hung, Bhadra Lokuge, Russell Goldman, Mark Bernstein; 10/24 Palliative care patients may be particularly vulnerable to experiencing errors due to the complex communication among interdisciplinary team members (including the patient and their caregivers), the use of high-risk medications such as opioids and benzodiazepines, polypharmacy, patient frailty, and patient cognitive decline. Care in patients’ homes presents additional challenges to patient care that are unique from hospital settings: Decreased communication about roles and responsibilities in care can result from involvement of multiple care teams and different electronic records. The collaborative nature of care in a home-based palliative care context may present unique challenges to translating error reporting to improved patient safety. Physicians are amenable to error reporting activities so long as data is used to improve patient safety.

This New York Times bestselling author cracked the code on transformative leadership Forbes Talks; by Brittany Lewis with Keith Ferrazzi; 11/19/24 Keith Ferrazzi and Forbes reporter Brittany Lewis discuss his new book Never Lead Alone: 10 Shifts from Leadership to Teamship on 'Forbes Talks.' Keith Ferrazzi, a #1 New York Times Bestselling Author of Never Eat Alone, Leading Without Authority, Competing in the New World of Work, and his newest book, Never Lead Alone: 10 Shifts from Leadership to Teamship. Keith is an acclaimed global executive team coach, who stands at the forefront of transformative leadership having coached the transformation of Fortune 500 corporations, the World Bank, fast growth Unicorns and even governments of entire countries. The founder of Ferrazzi Greenlight, Keith spearheads behavioral shifts in leadership and high impact teams, empowering organizations to thrive in the ever-evolving landscape of business. Keith's research can be found in prestigious publications including Harvard Business Review, Forbes, The Wall Street Journal, Fortune, Fast Company, and Inc. Magazine, where his columns serve as valuable insights for business leaders.

Nursing homes with more black residents lag in care goal discussions Medical Xpress; by Columbia University Irving Medical Center; 11/20/24 New research from Columbia University School of Nursing published in the American Journal of Hospice and Palliative Medicine shows that timely goals of care discussions are less likely to take place in nursing homes with a higher percentage of Black residents. These discussions are crucial to ensuring that nursing home residents receive care that aligns with their wishes, postdoctoral research fellow Jung A. "Chloe" Kang, Ph.D. '24, Professor Patricia Stone, Ph.D., and their colleagues note in the report, published online September 15, 2024. But these conversations are often delayed until patients experience life-threatening events, the authors add, which can lead to unwanted therapies and unnecessary hospitalizations. ... 

Q&A: Prioritizing health equity with Emory Healthcare’s Chief Transformation Office CDW Healthcare - Patient-Centered Care; by Teta Alim; 11/19/24 Most healthcare organizations regularly prioritize goals to improve the patient experience and increase clinician satisfaction, aligning with the Quintuple Aim. Atlanta-based Emory Healthcare created the role of chief transformation officer to focus on these areas, and in July 2023, Dr. Amaka Eneanya became the first to fill the role. ... What would you say were the top three lessons you learned during the first year in your new role? ENEANYA: It's been a great year. For lesson one, as someone coming from a different part of the U.S., ingraining yourself and getting to know the people and the culture of the organization that you’re in, that’s important to determine the change readiness of an organization. ... The second lesson is that change is exciting. There's a lot of trepidation with change, and part of being effective with change management and transformation is really garnering excitement. ... The third lesson that continues to be pervasive in my career is that health equity is poorly understood. ... You have to start with the basic foundation and concepts of health equity before you can make initiatives, otherwise people won't understand what you're doing, and they might have a visceral response to what you're doing because of the misinformation around health equity. 

YoloCares: The case for independenceThe Davis Enterprise; by Craig Dresang; 11/17/24I recently received an email from an individual in Temple Terrace, Fla., informing me that two Northern California nonprofit hospices — with close historical ties to YoloCares — have decided, via affiliation, to turn their keys over to a Florida-based health system that has had no previous presence in California.Publisher's note: Craig Dresang, CEO of YoloCares, goes on to discuss questions and concerns with Chapters Health System's (Tampa, FL) acquisition of Hospice of East Bay (Pleasant Hill, CA), Hospice of Santa Cruz County (Scotts Valley, CA), Nathan Adelson Hospice (Las Vegas, NV), and Willamette Vital Health (Salem, OR). The original story - Chapters Health System launches new Chapters Health West Division - was announced 10/30/24.