Literature Review

[Hong Kong] HKUMed building chatbot for end-of-life comms training MobiHealth News; by Adam Ang; 2/10/26 Powered by conversational AI, the tool aims to plug Hong Kong's palliative care workforce gap – with fewer than one specialist per 100,000 people – as advance medical directive legislation takes effect in May 2026. University of Hong Kong researchers are developing an AI-powered chatbot for training healthcare professionals in facilitating end-of-life communications at scale, ahead of new legislation making advance medical directives legally binding across the city of Hong Kong. 

A scoping review on aphasia and technology: Exploring mechanisms enhancing quality of lifeQuality of Life Research; by Grace E. Terry, Cassondra Wilson, Gillian Anderson, Stacy M. Harnish; 1/26 People with aphasia are at an increased risk for reduced quality of life (QoL) because of their change in communication abilities. The present study aims to review the current evidence supporting assistive technology as a tool to improve QoL for people with aphasia, while investigating the various mechanisms technology may impact that lead to increased QoL for people with aphasia. This review emphasizes the role mechanisms such as self-management, social interaction, and virtual communication play in improving QoL for people with aphasia, while emphasizing the role technology plays in impacting the function of these mechanisms.  However, for this assistive technology to be impactful, it must be person centered and thoroughly trained based on the current body of evidence.

Can AI hear when patients are ready for palliative care? Researchers use AI to analyze patient phone calls for vocal cues predicting palliative care acceptance Penn LDI - Leonard Davis Institute of Health Economics; by Hoag Levins; 2/24/26 A new study suggests artificial intelligence (AI) may help clinicians identify which seriously ill patients are ready for palliative care — by analyzing the energy, pitch, and other subtle vocal cues in recorded group phone conversations among patients, caregivers, and health care providers. The new work by a team led by LDI Senior Fellow and Penn Nursing School Assistant Professor Jiyoun Song, PhD, APRN, is the first to use speech processing to identify palliative care preferences during discussions and decision-making in managed long-term care (MLTC), a type of Medicaid-managed care for community-dwelling patients that need home and community-based services.

“Existential risk” – Why scientists are racing to define consciousness WDC TV News; by WDC TV News Staff; 2/1/26 As artificial intelligence continues to advance and ethical concerns grow alongside it, scientists say the need to understand consciousness has reached a critical point. In a new review published in Frontiers in Science, researchers warn that progress in AI and neurotechnology is moving faster than scientific understanding of consciousness. This gap, they argue, could lead to serious ethical problems if it is not addressed. The authors say explaining how consciousness emerges is now an urgent scientific and moral priority. A clearer understanding could eventually make it possible to develop scientific methods for detecting consciousness. That breakthrough would have far-reaching consequences ...

How to responsibly use AI in palliative care and hematologic malignancies CancerNetwork; podcast by Ram Prakash Thirugnanasambandam, MBBS; 2/2/26 In a conversation with CancerNetwork®, Ram Prakash Thirugnanasambandam, MBBS, discussed the evolving roles that artificial intelligence (AI)–based tools may play in palliative care and the management of different hematologic malignancies. ... According to Thirugnanasambandam, implementing AI into one’s workflow may help accurately predict disease subtypes and burdens among patients with leukemia, lymphoma, or multiple myeloma. ... Thirugnanasambandam also discussed some of the ethical considerations surrounding the growth of AI-based tools, highlighting information privacy concerns and potentially biased datasets as notable issues with these platforms. Although AI may assist with decision-making, Thirugnanasambandam stated that it ultimately cannot replace a human’s nuanced clinical judgment and empathy.

Not all AI is created equal Access Newswire, Hamden, CT: Press Release; 1/22/26 Not all AI in home health and hospice is created equal. Many AI solutions appear similar at first glance. They promise efficiency and reduced administrative burden. What separates them is the depth of industry knowledge behind the technology. That distinction matters. In other words, there is a big difference between a healthcare company creating technology and a tech company breaking into the healthcare industry. People matter in home health and hospice. That includes the people who make the tools you use. 

Reimagining Hospice with Agentic and Generative AI1520ai press release; by Ernesto Lopez; 1/8/26...Agentic AI moves beyond task automation. It introduces systems that can reason over time, track evolving conditions, and coordinate actions across clinical, operational, and compliance domains. In a hospice setting, this means AI can move from being a documentation assistant to functioning as a continuous support layer. An agentic system can review clinical documentation as it is created, recognize patterns that suggest risk or change in trajectory, and surface insights proactively. It can coordinate care activities, prompt timely follow-up, and support consistency across interdisciplinary teams.Publisher's Note: An interesting article introducing AI terminology from a hospice perspective.

Natural language processing to assess palliative care processes and health care utilization in seriously ill older adults with severe traumaJournal of Palliative Medicine; by Daniel I Hoffman, Sydney Moore, Mengyuan Ruan, Masami Tabata-Kelly, Kate Sciacca, Tamryn F Gray, Stuart R Lipsitz, Christine S Ritchie, Charlotta Lindvall, Zara Cooper; 12/25National guidelines recommend palliative care (PC) alongside life-sustaining treatment for older adults with severe trauma. However, outcomes associated with PC for these patients are not well-defined... Natural language processing was used to measure documentation of five inpatient PC processes: code status limitations, goals-of-care (GOC) conversations, hospice discussions, PC consultations, and health care proxy designations... PC was not associated with reduced health care utilization in older adults after trauma but was associated with one-year hospice enrollment. GOC conversations, specialty PC, and inpatient hospice discussions had low utilization, highlighting target areas for improvements in care delivery.

Novel AI tool offers prognosis for patients with head and neck cancerDana-Farber Cancer Institute; 12/23/25A team led by investigators at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Mass General Brigham has developed and validated an artificial intelligence (AI)–based noninvasive tool that can predict the likelihood that a patient's oropharyngeal cancer—a type of head and neck cancer that develops in the throat—will spread, thereby signaling which patients should receive aggressive treatment. The research is published in Journal of Clinical Oncology.

Scaling home-based care coordination depends on technology, addressing social determinants of health Home Health Care News; by Morgan Gonzales; 12/30/25 The home-based care industry is uniquely equipped to improve care coordination and enhance care for patients. To expand the role that care coordination plays in the U.S., both post-acute providers and the health care system overall must expand their use of technology and address social determinants of health, according to Ruth Raskas, president and chief operating officer at LiveWell Partners.

Healthcare technology: Smart tech, wearable devices, and robotics – 2026 health IT predictions Healthcare IT Today; by Grayson Miller; 1/6/26 As we wrap up another year and get ready for 2026 to begin, it is once again time for everyone’s favorite annual tradition of Health IT Predictions! We reached out to our incredible Healthcare IT Today Community to get their insights on what will happen in the coming year, and boy, did they deliver. We, in fact, got so many responses to our prompt this year that we have had to narrow them down to just the best and most interesting. Check out the community’s predictions down below and be sure to follow along as we share more 2026 Health IT Predictions!

Princess Luz’s final wish Fredericksburg Standard-Radio Post, Fredericksburg, TX; by Tammy Rohlf; 12/24/25Luzmaria Salazar, known to those who loved her as “Princess Luz,” was just 17 years old, but her courage and faith measured far beyond her years. After bravely battling a rare genetic disease that affected her nervous and immune systems, she passed away in June of 2025. One of her last wishes was simple, yet, seemed impossible: She wanted to swim with dolphins. Her mom, Jessica Gurrola, tried to make that dream happen with a trip to SeaWorld, but the experience fell short. That’s when the hospice team stepped in. With the help of a hospice volunteer and virtual reality technology, Luz’s dream came true in a way no one expected. When the headset was placed on her, something extraordinary happened. Her entire body calmed. ... 

AARP: 55 percent of family caregivers use tech to coordinate care McKnights Home Care; by Donna Shryer; 12/9/25 Technology adoption is surging on both sides of the caregiving equation. AARP estimates there are about 63 million unpaid caregivers nationwide, and among those caregivers age 50 and older, 55% now use one or more digital tools to manage routines, coordinate care or track health. Among all adults age 50+ (unpaid caregivers and care recipients), 78% say they rely on technology to stay connected with friends and family, according to AARP’s newly released 2026 Tech Trends and Adults 50-Plus report.