Literature Review

Church group fashions 'dignity quilts' for palliative care unitCanada - Local Journalism Initiative; by Wayne Doyle; 5/22/24It’s such a simple thing. But the volume of respect it signifies is unimaginable. The impact it has on surviving family members, equally so. It’s called ‘code dove’ and it’s a special paging phrase; ... staff and residents join the family of the deceased as they gather at the front entrance to say goodbye as the resident leaves the home for the last time. “When our residents are leaving, they exit through the front lobby, the same way they came in,” said Peggy Sauve, assistant director of resident care at the IOOF on Brooks Street in Barrie. “It’s all about respect for the individual and their family. “We hold flameless candles, play their favourite music and take one last chance to say goodbye,” she added. ... As the resident leaves the home for the last time, their body is covered with a dignity quilt, designed and handmade by members of the Elmvale Presbyterian Church Craft group.

Life support decisions are usually made within 72 hours. Is that too soon? Advisory Board; by Daily Briefing; 5/21/24After a patient suffers a traumatic brain injury (TBI) and is on a ventilator, when is the right time to withdraw life support? A new study published in the Journal of Neurotrauma suggests that doctors and patient family members should wait a bit longer than usual. ... The researchers found that the majority of patients whose life support wasn't withdrawn ended up dying in the hospital anyways within about six days. However, 42% of patients who continued life support recovered enough within the following year to have some level of independence, and a few even returned to their former lives.

Georgia system reopens hospital to inpatient services Hospital CFO Report; by Mariah Taylor; 5/2/24 Piedmont Augusta (GA) is reopening the emergency department and inpatient services at its Summerville campus after converting the location into an outpatient campus over a year ago. Effective May 16, the hospital will open 15 beds in the emergency department, 12 inpatient unit beds, and new imaging services. Outpatient services will continue as normal, according to a May 1 system news release. "What we heard pretty quickly from our community is that they missed the efficiency of that campus," Lily Henson, MD, CEO of Piedmont's Augusta clinical hub, said in the release.

Shocked at end-of-life: An educational video for hospice workers about Implantable Cardioverter-Defibrillators Journal of Pain and Symptom Management; by Sarah Godfrey, MD, MPH; Christine L. Chen, MD; Melanie S. Sulistio, MD; Sharika Kumar, MD; and Kelley Newcomer, MD; 2/24 Introduction: Hundreds of thousands of patients with implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (ICDs) die yearly. Though ICD shocks can be lifesaving, they can also be severely painful. One third of ICD patients are shocked in the last day of life irrespective of DNR status. Over 97% of hospice programs admit patients with ICDs, yet only 10% have deactivation policies and less than 50% of hospice patients have their ICD deactivated. ...  Conclusion: Hospice personnel have limited knowledge about ICDs, prohibiting best care of patients with these devices at EOL. A short educational video increased knowledge and may serve as a helpful tool. Improving ICD knowledge amongst hospice personnel is essential to ensuring the unique needs of hospice patients with ICDs are met.