Literature Review

Leading with purpose creates a vision for the future of oncology nursing Oncology Nursing Society - ONS; by Ryne Wilson, DNP, RN, OCN; 6/1/26 Momentum is not accidental; it is built through courageous decisions and shared purpose. As ONS moves forward to advancing oncology nursing excellence across clinical practice, policy, and scientific discovery, we are guided by our 2026–2028 Strategic Plan.

Bridging the gap: a hospitalist-designed, nurse-driven palliative care model in a community hospital The Hospitalist; by Natasha Rai Morris, MD, MHA, CHCQM, CRCR, CCDS and Jessica Staton, MSN, MBA, RN, CCM; 6/1/26 ... [The] number of clinicians trained in palliative care is insufficient to meet the increasing demand for goals-of-care and advance care planning discussions. ... To address this gap, a 90-day pilot program was designed and implemented by a hospitalist and registered nurse care manager. The purpose was straightforward: expand access to early goals-of-care conversations, advance care planning, and appropriate hospice referral without waiting for a fully staffed specialty palliative team. ... In short, this model produced measurable documentation gains, earlier advance-care planning, and culture change toward goal-concordant care without requiring a full dedicated palliative team on site.

Nurse and provider perceptions of palliative care Nursing Management; by Eydie Tipton, Tracy Viers, and Chelsea Wilson; 5/1/26 Conclusions: Findings suggest that knowledge gaps may not be the primary barrier to palliative care (PC) utilization. Instead, systemic and cultural factors likely contribute to under-referral. Leadership-driven strategies, including standardized referral processes, enhanced interprofessional education, and supportive clinical environments, may help translate knowledge into consistent practice.Editor's Note: Yes, real persons are behind each research article we post. Read this community's pride in the palliative care nurses of Quincy, IL behind this study. Eydie, Tracy and Chelsea saw a need, developed a research project, and saw it through to publication: National journal publishes palliative care research by area nurses.

BAYADA ranked on Forbes' Best Employers for New Grads list HomeCare News, Philadelphia, PA; Press Release; 5/27/26 BAYADA Home Health Care announced it has been named to Forbes’ America’s Best Employers for New Grads 2026, an annual ranking based on an independent survey of more than 100,000 United States employees with fewer than 10 years of work experience. BAYADA said it is the only home healthcare organization that made the list, ranked No. 116 out of the 500 companies recognized, spanning all industries. More than 2 million employer evaluations across a three-year period informed the final list. 

[United Kingdom] Palliative care beds paused over lack of staffing BBC News, Northamptonshire, United Kingdom; by Laura Coffey; 5/28/26 Palliative care beds have been temporarily taken out of use for end-of-life patients due to an "unexpected shortfall in consultant cover", an NHS trust said. Northamptonshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust (NHFT) said the six affected beds at Danetre Hospital in Daventry would instead be used for rehabilitation. ... In a statement, NHFT said: "A recruitment process is ongoing, and once the medical cover has been resolved, the beds will switch back to being palliative care beds. 

States with the most, fewest licensed nurses per capita Becker's Clinical Leadership; by Mariah Taylor; 5/21/26 The National Council of State Boards of Nursing found the District of Columbia has the most licensed nurses per capita, while Utah is the state with the fewest for the second year in a row. ... Becker’s used 2025 Census data to calculate how many nurses are in each state per 100,000 population. Here are the five with the most and the five with the fewest nurses. ...Most [list starts with highest]: District of Columbia ... Alaska ... New York ... Minnesota ... Massachusetts ... Fewest [list starts with lowest]: Utah ... Washington ... Georgia ... Idaho ... Texas ...

 Wisconsin-made film "Winter Hymns" gets more showings on the silver screen WKWO-27 ABC, Madison, WI; by Lucas Kihmm; 5/17/26 A movie that's produced and filmed right here in Wisconsin, Winter Hymns tells the story of a palliative care doctor meeting with a series of dying patients over a one day span. Writer and Director of the film Nathan Deming sat down with 27 News anchor Lucas Kihmm to talk about the movie and says he was inspired by his father, who was a palliative care physician, to make the film. ... It's now getting more exposure to audiences across the state and country after Flix Brewhouse gave Deming the opportunity to show his film in theaters. 

Proposed Rulemaking - Pennsylvania State Board of Nursing: Licensed Practical Nurse Pronouncement of Death Commonwealth of Pennsylvania; 5/9/26 ... Background and Purpose: Prior to the recent amendment to the VSL, the authority to pronounce death in a home hospice setting was limited to registered nurses (RN), physicians, physician assistants and coroners. As a practical matter, that means that an LPN, who is often present and delivering end-of-life care to hospice patients, has to contact an RN and wait for the RN's arrival for the deceased to be pronounced dead, the family contacted, if they are not present, and the body released to a funeral director or county coroner. This approach is not practical or efficient. Moreover, it is not compassionate to grieving families to wait, sometimes for hours, for the RN to arrive to have their loved one removed.

Thank a nurse 2026: reader submitted letters Portland Press Herald, Portland, ME; by various readers of the Portland Press Herald; 5/8/26

Celebrating National Volunteer Month: ways hospice organizations showed appreciation (April 2026) Hospice & Palliative Care Today; compilation by Joy Berger; 5/1/26 

[Greece] Tele-palliative care in rural areas, implementation and patient experiences: A systematic reviewAmerican Journal of Hospice & Palliative Medicine; by Athanasios Pitis, Maria Nikoloudi, Kyriaki Mystakidou; 3/26Specialist palliative care remains highly uneven in rural and remote settings for patients with life-limiting illness and their families. This review aimed to examine the implementation characteristics, clinical and service-level outcomes, and patient experiences of tele-palliative care interventions for individuals living in rural or remote settings with limited access to specialist palliative care. Conclusions: Tele-palliative care can extend specialist palliative care to rural and remote communities by reducing travel burden and supporting continuity, particularly when delivered through hybrid models embedded in local care pathways. 

Nursing profession sees major boom NBC Nightly News; by Emilie Ikeda; 4/21/26 As AI threatens so many industries, nursing is in demand. The Labor Department last year reported health care as the largest source of job creation in the U.S. "So many industries, one is thriving and paying good salaries," Emilie Ikeda explains why so many Americans are giving up working in office buildings to become nurses. ... At a time when many industries are shrinking in part because of Artificial Intelligence, "Why do you say that nursing is A.I.-proof?" "I don't think that A.I. can pick up on the minute nuances that may happen in human emotion ..."

Physician pay gaps by gender, race Becker's Hospital Review; by Mariah Taylor; 4/16/26 Gender pay gaps continue to widen between male and female physicians, and physicians by race, Medscape’s Physician Compensation report found. ... The survey found that the gender pay gap has widened since 2023, going from men making $91,000 more per year than women to $102,000 more per year in 2025. This means men make about 31% per year more than women physicians. ... There are also substantial pay gaps based on race. White physicians make about $8,000 more than Asian Americans, the next highest paid group and $49,000 more than Black physicians, the lowest paid group.