Literature Review

4 critical mistakes to avoid during your workday project Becker's Hospital Review; In collaboration with Healthcare IT Leaders; 2/3/25 The success of a Workday implementation doesn’t just hinge on technology but on people. According to recent research, up to 80% of digital transformation initiatives fail. ... For organizations looking to avoid these pitfalls, here are four critical staffing mistakes to avoid as outlined in our Workday Resource Planning & Staffing Guide:

Too much, too fast: Constant change creating corporate burnout Global Finance; by Bill HInchberger; 2/4/25 Change fatigue can strain employees and organizations, and it is getting worse. To reduce the harm, companies are turning to more thoughtful, gradual strategies. ... Hardly a fad pushed by human resources, the phenomenon known as “change fatigue” can affect the bottom line through workforce churn, reduced ability of workers to adapt to further change, and lower productivity. ... Whether adopting new technologies or reacting to external change, many if not most companies appear to be in a constant state of flux. Over 75% of corporations revamp their business model every two to five years, according to a study by WalkMe, a San Franciso-based software-as-a-service firm... Major initiatives tend to favor faster speed and larger scope. Yet there are signs that more gradual solutions might be more effective and less traumatic.

How to build a company culture that sticks HR Brew; by Mikaela Cohen; 1/30/25 Figuring out how to craft a company culture can sometimes feel like figuring out what to eat for dinner. What you have isn’t working ...,  creating something from scratch is a lot of work ..., so you end up going with the quick-and-easy fix ... Perhaps there’s a better solution for HR pros trying to build a company culture that sticks with employees ... HR leaders from SiriusXM, Fanatics, Aveanna Healthcare, and DailyPay shared their strategies for creating a strong company culture, especially during times of change and uncertainty.

New report details hospice industry outlook for 2025 PR Newswire, Cleveland, OH; by WTWH Media; 1/30/25 Hospice News, a WTWH Media publication, is pleased to announce the results of its annual outlook survey on the state of the hospice and palliative care markets. Conducted in collaboration with home-based care EHR leader Homecare Homebase, the survey compiles the views of more than 100 industry professionals to uncover the key factors defining the hospice landscape in 2025. Responses come from a range of provider representatives, including owners, operators, C-suite executives, managers and staff. In summary, respondents indicated:

Does confronting mortality make our lives more meaningful? | The Ethical Life podcast SC Now, Florence, SC; podcast hosts Richard Kyte and Scott Rada; 1/29/25 Hosts Richard Kyte and Scott Rada discuss how our awareness of mortality shapes the way we live. Kyte begins by discussing how ancient philosophers, particularly the Stoics, believed we should keep death constantly in mind, [helping] us avoid self-deception about our mortality and the tendency to become overly attached to material possessions and markers of success. Later, the hosts discuss how major religions have grappled with the question of what happens after death. ... Rada and Kyte share their personal reflections on mortality. ... Kyte says he ponders it daily, not in a morbid way, but to remind himself to use his finite time wisely. They discuss how people near the end of life often shift their priorities to relationships, forgiveness and small joys. 

The Handbook of LGBTQIA-inclusive Hospice and Palliative Care, 2nd edition Review in Ageing & Society, published online by Cambridge University Press; book authored by Kimberly D. Acquavia, review authored by Luis Stoisser; 1/23/25 The Handbook of LGBTQIA-inclusive Hospice and Palliative Care is a comprehensive guide to providing inclusive palliative and hospice care to everyone, regardless of their self-identification. Following the author's belief that LGBTQIA+ hospice and palliative care requires change at three levels - individual, institutional and systemic - the book extends state-of-the-art palliative and hospice practices (US focused) by including LGBTQIA+ perspectives. Such a rethinking educates hospice and palliative care practitioners on how to provide person-centered care, how to be self-reflexive on a daily basis and how to handle their own stereotypes and stigmas. [This book is available via Columbia University Press and Amazon.]

The iatrogenic consequences of medicalising grief: Resetting the research agenda Sociology of Health & Illness: by Sarah Gurley-Green, Lisa Cosgrove, Milutin Kostic, Lauren Koa, and Susan McPherson; published 11/28/25, distributed via Evermore 1/28/25When the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) was published in 2013, there was a firestorm of controversy about the elimination of the bereavement exclusion. Proponents of this change and of the proposed “complicated grief” designation believed that this change would help clinicians recognise major depression in the context of recent bereavement. Other researchers and clinicians have raised concerns about medicalising grief. In 2022 “prolonged grief disorder” (PGD) was officially included in the DSM-5-TR in the trauma- and stressor-related disorders section. ... As human rights activists have argued, bereavement support is an inalienable human right, one that is centered on the right to health and well-being, for “bereavement health is as intrinsic to our humanity as any other aspect of health and citizenship” (Macaskill 2022). That is why there are increasing calls for investing in bereavement as a public good and for “cultivat[ing] a bereavement-conscious workforce.” (Lichtenthal et al. 2024, e273). As Lichtenthal notes, it is not only clinicians but also institutions and systems that must “shift bereavement care from an afterthought to a public health priority.”Editor's note: "Iatrogenic" refers to unintentional consequences/condition from a medical intervention. In the hospice context, this means bereavement/grief from the hospice death. How many patients do you serve? The CMS Hospice Conditions of Participation identify "bereavement" and/or "grief" 155 times. What priority do you give to bereavement care before, at and after your patients' deaths?

What can we learn from the dying? Newscastle's News Letter Journal (NLJ), Newcastle, WY; by Kelly Evans-Hullinger, MD; 1/26/25 For the last five years, I have had the great privilege of serving my local health system as Medical Director for Home Hospice. Every week I sit in a meeting with the multidisciplinary caretakers on this team ... Patients facing their own deaths want to talk about their lives. Our staff frequently tries to facilitate what they call a “life review” in which a patient can openly talk about their childhood, family, career, service, and sometimes their regrets. This is therapeutic for the dying patient and their loved ones.  ... I have recently thought about this particular human need – to reflect and remember one’s life. I take this as a reminder to both seek those stories from my own loved ones (I wish I had asked my grandmother more questions about her life) and, perhaps, to tell and write about the things in my own life I would want to be remembered after I am gone. For if there is another thing I’ve learned serving patients on hospice, it is that my death is also inevitable; but, I think, life’s finality is what gives it beauty and meaning. 

Remembering the Holocaust with little-known story about a Jewish refugee and Cicely Saunders: Honoring the International Holocaust Remembrance Day - 80th Anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz

Some wary of Providence home health joint venture with for-profit company Herald Net, Everett, WA; by Jenna Peterson; 1/23/25 Some nurses in the state say an upcoming joint venture between Providence Home and Community Care and Compassus, a for-profit company with private equity ownership, could have an adverse effect on health care. The deal, expected to be finalized in Washington early this year, ... impacts locations in five U.S. states. ... Boyle and Compassus spokesperson Dana Coleman said there will be no changes in care or staffing under the joint venture. But some nursing advocates, like Ian Mikusko, worry that a for-profit, private equity influence could be harmful for health care.“Private equity is somewhat more extractive because there’s a pressure to provide large dividend payments to investors,” said Mikusko, strategic researcher with the Washington State Nurses Association. Mikusko cited research that shows quality of care diminishes when private equity companies become involved in health care, such as a 2023 study from the Center for Economic and Policy Research.

How it feels to be a hospice nurse Post Independent; by Oanh Hoang, Hospice of the Valley; 1/22/25 If someone had asked me this question seven years ago, when I was a new graduate nurse, I would have said it felt terrifying, depressing, frightening, and sad. However, my feelings have changed since I became a hospice nurse 4.5 years ago. ... If someone were to ask me how it feels to be a hospice nurse now, I would tell them to grab a soda, popcorn, and snacks, and get comfortable because I could talk for hours about what it’s like. My feelings start with gratitude. I am grateful to be a part of the final phase of my patients’ lives, walking alongside them and their families toward a peaceful end. For all my hospice patients, time is the most valuable thing they have. ... Along with all these rewarding feelings, I also feel sadness when my patients pass away. But this sadness is different from the sadness I felt seven years ago. 

Keep leadership training specific to company needs, McLean advises HR Dive; by Kathryn Moody; 1/21/25 Studies show that a lack of communication skills and change readiness is keeping leaders from reaching their potential. ... To build a solid and effective leadership training program, employers should start by establishing what gaps currently exist in leadership development and the competencies the company wants to build.Then, an employer can craft the program with proper mapping of activities and measurements of success and define how it will be maintained in the future. ... Notably, one leadership skill that may be lacking is communication, according to research published in November by the Association for Talent Development — and communication skills are considered critical for that employee group, according to talent development professionals surveyed.

New data reveals the hidden costs of workplace violence in healthcare Perceptyx; by Ellen Lovell, PhD and Stephanie Schloemer, PhD; 1/17/25 Workplace violence has become an impossible-to-ignore crisis in healthcare, threatening the safety of medical professionals, patients, and institutions. The severity and frequency of these incidents have reached alarming levels, demanding immediate attention and action. ... The human cost is staggering.  ... While our research confirms the widespread nature of safety concerns in healthcare, a deeper analysis reveals significant variations across different healthcare environments and roles. This granular view helps us understand where intervention is most urgently needed. Editor's note: Although "hospice settings reported the lowest agreement at 54%," this statistic should be considered too high for comfort. Actions need to be taken to reduce it. From your professional leadership role, examine the importance of protecting hospice professionals' safety--typically in home settings--and through moments such vulnerable, emotional, conflicted times within families. What can your agency improve?