Literature Review

Survey illustrates value of quality onboarding programs at home care firms McKnights Home Care, by Adam Healy; 4/24/24 Investing in a robust, high-quality onboarding and training program can yield big returns for home care firms, especially when workers are in short supply, according to a new survey report by healthcare technology company Viventium. The firm surveyed 175 administrators and 220 caregivers working at post-acute care firms. It found that caregivers are nearly 90% more likely to feel secure in their employment and be more engaged with their work after having a good onboarding experience. These positive results can lead to lower turnover rates and better-trained employees, according to the report.

Beyond compensation: Culture as a benefit HR Daily Advisor; by G Hatfield; 4/24/24 Compensation is not the only factor that nurses consider when choosing a health system. Benefits packages, workplace culture, safety, and flexibility all play a role in the decision-making process. CNOs should take a look at their health system’s offerings to make sure they are attractive to new nurses and that they are staying competitive in the industry. During the HealthLeaders’ Nurse Labor and Compensation NOW Summit, Robin Steaban, Chief Nursing Officer at Vanderbilt University Hospital, spoke about  innovative perks to attract and keep nurses, and how workplace culture and safety play a role as benefits alongside compensation.

Hospice nurse reveals the most common deathbed regretsUnilad; by Niamh Shackleton; 4/24/24Bronnie Ware, a nurse who has spent a large majority of her career working in palliative care, found that there were five common things that people regretted about their lives upon reflection as they approached death.

Behind the stethoscope: Exploring nursing ethics Noozhawk, Santa Barbara County, by Green Shoot Media; 4/22/24 The American Nurses Association developed a Code of Ethics for Nurses in the 1950s. It has been revised over the years to respond to technological advances and changes in society and the nursing field. Gallup takes a poll every year asks how the public ranks various professions for having high honesty and ethics. For 22 straight years, nurses come in as the most respected in terms of honesty and ethics. In 2024, 78% of the poll takers perceived them as honest.

Breaking News: Labor Department announces final overtime rule McKnights Senior Living, by Kimberly Bonvissuto; 4/23/24 The Department of Labor on Tuesday announced a final rule that expands overtime protections to millions of salaried workers beginning this summer. The overtime rule increases the salary thresholds necessary to exempt a salaried executive, administrative or professional employee from federal overtime pay requirements. Effective July 1, the salary threshold will increase to the equivalent of an annual salary of $43,888 and will increase to $58,656 on Jan. 1.  The July 1 increase updates the current annual salary threshold of $35,568, which is based on a 2019 overtime rule update.

Hospice volunteers share their ‘why’ The Journal, by Lores Morton; 4/21/2024 From volunteer Lores Morton: Why am I a volunteer for Hospice of the Panhandle? It is for our patient’s caregivers, to give them break relief; to share what may be missing with patient’s spiritual support; to be a memory keeper — legacy; to give simple visitation; and, also, to volunteer administratively for Light Up a Life. ...  From volunteer Kelly Orwig, "My why has evolved, but at the core, is that I love people. I love people who need love. Death and dying are natural, but over our lives, we’ve been socialized to fear death to the point that we fear those who are dying. ...." 

Home care industry slams finalized 80-20 Rule, warns agency closures are coming Home Health Care News, by Andrew Donlan; 4/22/24 The “Ensuring Access to Medicaid Services” rule has been finalized. Most importantly, the bemoaned “80-20” provision has gone through as proposed, meaning providers will eventually be forced to direct 80% of reimbursement for home- and community-based services (HCBS) to caregiver wages. ... Organizations like the National Association for Home Care & Hospice (NAHC) and LeadingAge immediately condemned the rule being finalized on Monday. ...

Man forces himself inside home, robs 2 women, including hospice patient, at gunpoint in north St. Louis NBC 5, St. Louis; by Calrissa Cowley; 4/19/24 The victim in hospice care was unable to move on her own or call the police during the ordeal. A man is facing charges three days after forcing his way into a north St. Louis home and robbing two 60-year-old women, one of whom was in hospice care, at gunpoint. St. Louis prosecutors charged 46-year-old Ronnie Jackson on Thursday with one count of first-degree robbery, one count of burglary, one count of kidnapping and three counts of armed criminal action. Each charge is a felony.

Help Serenity Hospice workers win their unionSEIU503; 4/18/24Workers at Serenity Hospice have been organizing for pay equity, adequate raises, affordable health care, regular hours, PTO, and the ability to manage trauma and compassion fatigue. The workers unanimously decided to form a union, and asked management to voluntarily recognize them. Serenity’s parent company (Addus Healthcare) already has SEIU-represented employees at its home health agency in Eugene. Instead, Addus hired one of the most expensive union-busing law firms in the country, and has been paying them hundreds of dollars per hour to spread anti-union propaganda. Workers are sticking together and staying strong, and plan to vote YES in their union election next week. Editor's Note: Hospice & Palliative Care Today's posting of this article denotes neither support nor opposition to this action. Rather, we are reporting it for hospice and palliative care leadership awareness. Unions and strikes among healthcare professionals--for these same cited reasons--continue to be a growing trend, nationwide.

Clinician burnout and effectiveness of guideline-recommended psychotherapies JAMA Network - Psychiatry; by Nina A. Sayer, PhD; Adam Kaplan, PhD; David B. Nelson, PhD; et al; 4/17/24 Importance: Clinician burnout has been associated with clinician outcomes, but the association with patient outcomes remains unclear. Conclusions: This prospective cohort study suggests that clinician burnout was negatively associated with patient outcomes from evidence-based psychotherapies. Findings support research to test the hypothesis that interventions to reduce burnout may improve outcomes from guideline-recommended psychotherapies for PTSD. Future work should determine when and how burnout is associated with intervention delivery and patient outcomes.Editor's Note: Most research on hospice and palliative clinician burnout focuses on physicians and nurses. Examine this in light of your psychosocial/spiritual professionals, i.e. social workers, chaplains/spiritual care, and bereavement counselors. 

Volunteers make best days possible for 600 people a day at VNA Hospice NWIGreatNews.Life, Valparaiso, IN; 5/19/24VNA Hospice NWI serves over 600 people a day. From Hospice and Palliative Care, Grief Support services for adults and children to the Medical Guardian help button and a Meals on Wheels program, the impact of VNA services around the region is tremendous. The VNA staff work tirelessly to ensure these essential services are available each day – but they can’t do it alone. Their team relies on an army of volunteers, who do everything from stuffing envelopes and labeling meal bags, to working directly with hospice patients and bereaved children, and delivering the meals. Maria Galka, Director of Development for VNA Hospice, said that the organization’s volunteers outnumber its staff by about five to one. Editor's Note: April's Volunteer Appreciation Month is still underway. Learn from this superb article, posted on an online community site. VNA Hospice NWI's astonishing volunteer program bears repeating: "... the organization’s volunteers outnumber its staff by about five to one."

Health Talk: Getting into a health care career The Barre Montpelier Times Argus Online, by Peg Bolgioni; 4/13/24According to the American Hospital Association, there will be a shortage of up to 3.2 million health care workers by 2026. America will face a shortage of up to 124,000 physicians by 2033 and will need to hire at least 200,000 nurses per year to meet increased demand, and to replace retiring nurses. ... The mission of Southern Vermont Area Health Education Center is to enhance community efforts to grow and sustain the health workforce in southern Vermont. One of the ways we do this is by delivering pathway programs that connect students to health careers. [Click the title's link to read about this event.]Editor's Note: How might your organization create similar career engagement and education in your community?