Literature Review

Trends in hospice and palliative care consults initiated in the emergency department: An eight-year utilization analysisThe American Journal of Emergency Medicine; by Satheesh Gunaga, Abe Al-Hage, Alyssa Buchheister, Harish Neelam, Jessica Corcoran, Michael Welchans, Kirby Swan, Mahmoud Awada, Joseph Miller, Fabrice Mowbray; 8/25Emergency departments (EDs) play a central role in end-of-life care, yet the early integration of hospice and palliative care (HPC) is often underutilized. A total of 8,055 HPC consults were ordered for 6,370 unique patients. The average age was 78.1 years, with 56.4 % female and 75.0 % White. Of the cohort, 91.7 % were admitted, 5.3 % discharged home, and 53.2 % died in-hospital. HPC consults increased from 369 in 2016 to 1,355 in 2023 (367 % increase ... ). The ratio of hospice to palliative care consults reversed from 1.5:1 in 2016 to 1:1.9 in 2023.

[Canada] Palliative care access and use among homeless individuals: A scoping reviewBMC Palliative Care; by Ashley Rodericks-Schulwach, Ravi Gokani, Lynn Martin; 7/25Homeless individuals experience unique needs and challenges when PC. Many of the challenges experienced are related to the stigma of homelessness– it negatively impacts the relationship people have with PC professionals as well as creates barriers to access. Implementation of integrated and intersectoral PC programs that employ harm reduction approaches is needed to ensure that people experiencing homelessness receive PC that promotes dignity and comfort. Specialized staff training to work with this population is also needed to improve quality of PC care provided. Future research that employs an intersectional lens to better understand the needs of sub-groups within the homeless population is needed, as is use of consistent terminology related to PC services to ensure both understanding and generalizability of findings. 

Unity receives $25,000 grant from K.C. Stock Foundation to expand home-based palliative care service The Chamber - Manitowoc County, WI; 8/14/25 Unity is honored to announce the award of a $25,000 grant from the K.C. Stock Foundation to support its Supportive Care Management (SCM) program, which provides compassionate, home-based palliative care to individuals in Northeast Wisconsin facing serious illness. “We are deeply grateful to the K.C. Stock Foundation for recognizing the growing need for accessible palliative care,” says Unity Executive Director Alisa Gerke. ... Unity’s Supportive Care Management program provides an extra layer of support and education for individuals and their family when living with a serious illness, delivering expert care wherever a patient calls home. 

Standardized assessment of patient experience in pediatric palliative care: A national collaborationJournal of Pain & Symptom Management; by Ashley K Autrey, Stacey Rifkin-Zenenberg, Tracy Hills, Jennifer Salant, Rachna May, Elliot Rabinowitz, Chelsea Heneghan, Laura Drach, Emma Jones, Rachel Thienprayoon; 7/25Use of patient reported outcome measures (PROMs) are crucial to providing patient-centered care. In 2022, the Pediatric Palliative Improvement Network developed a project to standardize the assessment of patient experiences with PPC [pediatric palliative care] services. Results: Patients/ families felt heard and understood and would recommend PPC. Standardized assessments of patient experience with PPC are feasible and informative. PROMs can ensure that PPC services meet patient needs, identify opportunities for improvement, and demonstrate value.

[United Kingdom] Rethinking palliative care for people affected by homelessness Nursing in Practice; by Karita Razzell; 8/5/25 Well-timed palliative intervention can be a game-changer for people affected by homelessness facing advanced ill health, says Karita Razzell, palliative care manager at the charity St Mungo’s. ... There are various reasons behind the stark health disparities faced by people experiencing homelessness. ... Many individuals are living with serious mental health conditions, substance use issues, undiagnosed neurodiversity, and chronic physical illnesses – all of which can make clinical environments like hospitals particularly challenging for them. ... There are also digital hurdles: appointment systems and prescription services are increasingly online, yet many people without stable housing lack access to mobile phones or the internet. ... As a result, treatable conditions in people affected by homelessness often go undiagnosed until they reach an advanced stage.Editor's Note: People experiencing homelessness in the U.S. face similar challenges. Organizations such as The Hildegard House in Louisville, KY, and others in the national Omega Home Network of “comfort care homes” quietly provide palliative and hospice care for them. Click here to see a national map of these homes.

State Medicaid coverage policies for community-based palliative care: Lessons from NASHP’s State Institute National Academy for State Health Policy; by Ella Taggart, Wendy Fox-Grage; 8/11/25 Six states recently participated in NASHP’s two-year State Policy Institute to Improve Care for People with Serious Illness (the Institute): Colorado, Maine, Maryland, Ohio, Texas, and Washington. ... Specifically, the six participating states received guidance on policy mechanisms to cover palliative care services in the community and completed cost analysis on palliative care services for Medicaid beneficiaries. While all the states balanced the same forces and demands, ... each state modeled a benefit that was responsive to its particular needs and circumstances. ... CBIZ Optumas and TFA Analytics then designed a cost calculator for each state to help with different scenarios. 

First-ever global ranking of palliative care: 2025 World Map under the new WHO framework Journal of Pain and Symptom Management; by Vilma A. Tripodoro, Jesús Fernando López Fidalgo, Juan José Pons, Stephen R. Connor, Eduardo Garralda, MA, Fernanda Bastos, Álvaro Montero, Laura Monzón Llamas, Ana Cristina Béjar, Daniela Suárez, Carlos Centeno; 8/7/25 This is the fourth edition of mapping global palliative care development and the first to introduce a country ranking using the new WHO framework. Covering 201 countries, the findings reveal deep inequities and highlight priority areas for action. The Global Development Score enables the creation of tailored strategies, supporting advocacy, policy, and investment to expand access and reduce serious health-related suffering worldwide. [To view the map, open the source article and scroll down to Figure 3.]

Palliative delays associated with increased length of stay in older traumatic brain injury patientsThe Journal of Trauma & Acute Care Surgery; by Sarah A Hatfield, Parima Safe, Cleo Siderides, Anjile An, Cassandra V Villegas, Nicole Goulet, Robert J Winchell, Elizabeth Gorman; 7/25Trauma Quality Improvement Program guidelines recommend early goals of care discussions (≤72 hours) for older patients with severe injuries. Patients (55 years or older) with moderate to severe TBI [traumatic brain injury] ... were retrospectively identified at a level I trauma center (2020-2022). Conclusions: Delayed PI [palliative intervention] is associated with increased LOS [length of stay] in older TBI patients, with no survival difference compared with early PI. Palliative interventions should be introduced early to reduce morbidity in patients with potential poor prognosis.

Study: Most Medicare seniors with advanced cancer still do not receive palliative care McKnights Long-Term Care News; by Donna Shryer; 8/6/25 A large national study of Medicare beneficiaries who died from advanced cancers found that although use of specialty palliative care has increased in recent years, most older adults still don’t receive this kind of care before death. The findings were published July 24, 2025, in JAMA Network Open and based on an analysis of 1.5 million Medicare fee-for-service enrollees who died between 2018 and 2023. In this study, researchers focused on palliative care delivered outside of hospice settings.

Telehealth use in palliative care has declined since pandemic, study finds McKnights Home Care; by Adam Healy; 8/5/25 Medicare beneficiaries are generally using less telehealth during palliative care than during the COVID-19 pandemic, but some patient cohorts continue to have high rates of virtual care use, according to a new study published in JAMA Network Open. ... “Since the COVID-19 pandemic, telehealth use for palliative care has declined slightly but continued to play a sizable role in outpatient palliative care, accounting for 18.2% of specialist encounters in 2023,” the researchers said. Telehealth may be best suited for patients with certain conditions, they noted. For instance, the study indicated that patients with poor-prognosis cancers — meaning cancers that commonly cause death, rare cancers with high mortality rates or solid tumors with concurrent nonlymphatic metastasis — may benefit the most from telehealth. Virtual care use was also high among psychiatry patients, the study found.

The heart of transformation: People, purpose and progress at City of Hope Modern Healthcare; by City of Hope; 7/14/25 As chief transformation officer at City of Hope, one of the largest and most advanced cancer research and treatment organizations in the U.S., Debra Fields has spent nearly a decade guiding the organization’s evolution. In this conversation, Fields shares her perspective on what it takes to lead meaningful transformation in healthcare including the power of vision, the importance of culture and the responsibility leaders have to care for both their people and themselves.

Expanding the conceptualization of bereavement in the perinatal periodThe Journal of Obstetric, Gynecologic & Neonatal Nursing; by Rana Limbo, Natasha Nurse-Clarke; 7/25Contemporary definitions of perinatal loss encompass a range of involuntary and unintended pregnancy outcomes, including miscarriage (loss of pregnancy before 20 weeks gestation; Mayo Clinic, 2023), ectopic pregnancy (fertilized egg implanted outside the uterus), stillbirth (the birth of a fetus who shows no signs of life at or after 20 weeks gestation; Gregory et al., 2022), and neonatal death (the death of a live-born fetus within the first 28 days of life; National Center for Health Statistics, 2024). The loss of a pregnancy or fetus or the death of a newborn is an event, and perinatal bereavement is the emotional response to that event. The need for perinatal palliative care, which refers to care provided to families who receive a life-limiting fetal diagnosis, has also emerged as a critical component in supporting families through these losses (Limbo & Wool, 2016).

Estimating the number of services & patients receiving specialized palliative care globally in 2025 Journal of Pain and Symptom Management; by Stephen R Connor, Eduardo Garralda, Vilma A Tripodoro, Carlos Centeno; 7/28/25 online ahead of print ... In 2025, the estimated number of specialized palliative care service delivery teams worldwide reached approximately 33,700 - representing a 32.7% increase from the 25,000 identified in 2017. Service delivery expanded across all WHO regions except Africa. The estimated number of patients served rose from 7 million in 2017 to approximately 10.4 million in 2025. This figure represents roughly 14% of the total global need for palliative care. ... Despite notable growth in service availability, significant disparities persist, particularly in low- and middle-income countries. While over half of the need appears to be met in high-income countries, only 4.4% is addressed by specialist provision in low and middle-income countries.