Literature Review

Competencies and barriers in the role of palliative nursing in cancer care Oncology Nurse Advisor; by Vicki Moore, PhD; 10/27/26 Nurses working in palliative oncology generally must integrate technical competence, emotional capacity, and cultural awareness across various stages of illness, according to a recent literature review published in the International Journal of Palliative Nursing, which also outlined challenges nurses may experience in this process. “While nurses demonstrate important strengths in symptom management and patient-family support, gaps remain in psychosocial, spiritual, cultural and ethical preparation,” the study’s authors wrote in their review. This integrative literature review was a synthesis of evidence regarding how competence, compassion, emotional labor, and educational preparation intersect in palliative oncology nursing.

Free webinar for physicians and healthcare professionals: Reducing hospital readmissions and reducing Hospital Readmissions and Length of stay in advanced illness patients VITAS Healthcare; Press Release; 9/14/26

Dr. Martin McCormack: The healthcare leader connecting education, governance and a safer world Global Healthcare Magazine; September 2026 issue Long before he held a title [Chief Executive Officer of the College of Anaesthesiologists of Ireland], ... Dr. Martin McCormack sat with families in the hardest hours of their lives, [as a palliative care physician, trauma counselor with patients and families in intensive care, supervising a team of 36 medical social workers, developing bereavement services. ... He measures his own leadership less by what has been delivered in any one period than by the capability it leaves behind. ... Dr. McCormack has been asking some version of the same question that has remained consistent throughout his career: What does this person need from the system around them, and how do we build it so it holds?

Evaluation of palliative care technical skills in an acute care setting: A simulation-based, qualitative assessmentAmerican Journal of Hospice & Palliative Care; by Daniel Boron-Brenner, Alexzandra Gentsch, Jenna Campolieto, Sepehr Sedigh-Haghighat, John Liantonio; 8/26Emergency physicians frequently encounter patients with serious illness, yet training in palliative care competencies remains inconsistent during emergency medicine (EM) residency. The objective of this study was to qualitatively examine EM residents' perceptions of the intersection between palliative care and emergency medicine following participation in palliative care-focused simulation scenarios. Residents reported uncertainty regarding core palliative care competencies, including interpretation of advance directives, documentation of do-not-resuscitate/do-not-intubate orders, and clinical decision-making during peri-arrest and resuscitation scenarios. Emotional responses included hesitancy and discomfort during high-stakes decision-making, particularly in the setting of limited information. Palliative-focused simulation elicited perceived knowledge gaps and emotional responses relevant to emergency care delivery. Simulation-based education may offer a structured approach to integrating palliative care competencies into EM training.

Beyond the book: How stories help shape future physicians University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV); by Doug Criss; 9/22/26 Katie Houk builds a medical humanities collection that gives students at the Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine space to reflect, create, and better understand the people they will care for. ... “Medical humanities is the integration of the humanistic fields into medical training,” Houk says. A large part of the work involves narrative medicine: reading and discussing fictional or true stories to build empathy for patients, connect physicians with one another, and encourage reflection on the physician-patient relationship and the profession itself.

IBM study finds 60% of employees worry AI is eroding critical thinking skills Complete AI Training; 9/21/26 A new IBM study finds that 60% of employees worry AI is eroding their skills, with critical thinking cited most often as declining. The research, released September 21, 2026, surveyed 1,500 CHROs and 8,800 employees globally, revealing a gap between the skills HR leaders say AI demands and what workers prioritize. While 71% of CHROs identify the ability to supervise, validate and override AI outputs as the workforce's most essential skill, only 29% of employees rank judgment as important. At the same time, CHROs cite critical thinking (57%) and human judgment (48%) as among the most important workforce capabilities.

Death Matters: The bedside vigil (Part 2) — after death arrivesSequim Gazette, Sequim, WA; by Jeanette Stehr-Green and Astrid Raffinpeyloz; 9/16/26The bedside vigil is the act of sitting by a dying person during their final hours or days, holding space for them with a loving presence, and tending to their needs. The vigil can provide comfort and companionship to the dying person. It can offer meaning and peace to all involved. The undertaking, however, does not end with the loved one’s last breath. Immediately following the death, the vigil enters a new stage, one that allows time to honor the moment but also attend to the practical steps that must follow. ...

Advance care planning in an urban hospital: Sustainability and growth in documenting care plans over four-yearsAmerican Journal of Hospice & Palliative Care; by Khadeja Kausar, Edward Coffield, Sampath Gopalan, Regina Tarkovsky, Sarah Egan, Robert A Press, John Marshall; 8/26Many acute care patients are admitted without advance care plans (AC-Plans) which may result in patients receiving care misaligned with their preferences. Accordingly, ACP [advance care planning] is needed within hospitals, however, implementation barriers exist. [In this study] the hospital's ACP program components included: primary palliative care, simulation-based training, and ACP and AC-Plan training and education. The percentage of patients with ACPs at discharge increased from 4.4% to 19.1% from the first to fourth program year. The odds of having an AC-Plan at discharge in years 2, three, and four were 3.44, ... 5.87, ... and 8.97 ... times higher than the odds of having one during the first program year. The growth and sustainability of the hospital's ACP program demonstrates that barriers to ACP within hospitals can be overcome and successful programs implemented.

How compassion and research build palliative care for the precision oncology era OncLive; by Ross Camidge, MD, PhD and Laura A. Petrillo, MD; 9/9/26 Drs. Camidge and Petrillo discuss Dr. Petrillo's evolution from a science-curious student to a leader in palliative care research. How This Is Building Me, hosted by world-renowned oncologist D. Ross Camidge, MD, PhD, is a podcast focused on the highs and lows, ups and downs of all those involved with cancer, cancer medicine, and cancer science across the full spectrum of life's experiences. In this episode, Dr Camidge sat down with Laura A. Petrillo, MD, a palliative care physician-investigator in the Division of Palliative Care and Geriatrics at Massachusetts General Hospital and an assistant professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School in Boston.

Using case studies to bridge the undergraduate nursing education gap in palliative and hospice careJournal of Hospice & Palliative Nursing; by Katherine Adams, Lisa Cross; 8/26Undergraduate nursing students struggle with understanding pharmacological pain management, especially in palliative care. New nurses indicate needing more experience with pain management and ethical dilemmas surrounding pain management. This project aimed to develop real-life case scenarios aligned with palliative competencies for use in undergraduate courses. Traditionally, palliative and hospice content is delivered with community courses, possibly limiting student competency across settings. These case studies present an opportunity for formative student assessment in pharmacological and other palliative management over 4 settings. Facilitation requires reflective techniques, and nurse faculty may need support in guiding discussions.

I lost my sister to cancer. Here’s what I learned about medically assisted death. The Washington Post; by Steven Petrow; 8/29/26 The same year that my parents died, my sister, Julie, then 55, was diagnosed with advanced ovarian cancer. Five years and three recurrences later, she’d exhausted all viable treatment options. At that point, she’d undergone one nine-hour surgery, six courses of chemotherapy and had joined two clinical trials. Like my parents’ physicians had done, Julie’s doctor eventually recommended palliative care, with at-home hospice, to keep her comfortable during her last months. ... [Julie, 61, chose legal MAID in 2023.] Approaching MAID as a journalist, I had questions: How is eligibility determined, what are the safeguards, does it always work, is a health care professional involved and many others. As a brother, however, I was conflicted and confused, and my questions felt more urgent and personal. ... [Access might be limited by a paywall.]  

Camp gives local students a hands-on look at careers in health care MaineHealth, North Conway, NH; Press Release; 8/25/26More than 20 local middle and high school students spent a week this summer discovering that there is much more to health care than what happens in a hospital room. MaineHealth Memorial Hospital’s annual Health Camp offered in partnership with MWV School to Career Summer Program gave students an opportunity to explore a wide range of health care careers through hands-on activities, demonstrations, games and behind-the-scenes experiences throughout the hospital. Throughout the week, campers rotated through hospital departments and interactive activities, getting a firsthand look at the many skills, roles and professions that contribute to patient care.