Literature Review

Post-diagnosis cannabis use and its association with health status and quality of life in cancer survivorsSupportive Care in Cancer; by Nasim Kasiri, Corinne McDaniels-Davidson, Neal Doran, Sandip P. Patel, David R. Strong, Humberto Parada Jr; 9/26We included 652 respondents in this study, which were weighted to represent the cancer center patient population [58.6% non-Hispanic White; 58.5% female; 51.8% ≥ 65 years]. Most reported above average status for mental health (67.2%) and QoL [quality of life] (64.2%), and almost half (47.1%) reported above average physical health. Odds of post-diagnosis cannabis use were significantly higher among survivors with average or below average mental health ...  Conclusion: Cancer survivors reporting average or below average health status or QoL had higher odds of cannabis use. 

Palliative social workers' contributions to cultivating prognostic awareness: A qualitative study using the Prognostic Awareness Impact Scale frameworkJournal of Palliative Medicine; Arden E O'Donnell, Juliet Jacobsen, Rennie Bimman, Sarah Stone, Taylor B Wensley, Judith G Gonyea; 9/26Prognostic awareness is central to informed, value-concordant care for patients with serious illness. Although often conceptualized as cognitive understanding of a time-based prognosis, emerging research highlights prognostic awareness as a multidimensional process involving cognitive understanding, emotional coping, and adaptive response. Objective: To describe the strategies hospital-based specialty-level palliative social workers use to cultivate prognostic awareness, using the Prognostic Awareness Impact Scale (PAIS) framework of cognitive understanding, emotional coping, and adaptive response. Conclusions: APHSW-C SWs play an important role in supporting patients' and families' understanding of the likely disease trajectory and prognosis, viewing their work as an ongoing, relational, and emotionally mediated process. Findings suggest that the PAIS may offer a useful framework for identifying profession-specific contributions to this process.

Social work roles and ethics in U.S. medical aid in dying Health & Social Work; Cynthia Helen Nover; 9/26This article fills a gap in the literature by discussing U.S. social work roles and MAiD [medical aid in dying] through an ethical decision-making framework and suggests social work roles, ethics, and risks of MAiD. Mandatory reporting expectations for U.S. social workers may cause confusion with MAiD, so it is important to distinguish between harm to self and MAiD (which is legal in 12 states and the District of Columbia) for hastening death. Relevant ethical expectations include self-determination, social justice, dignity and worth of a person, informed consent, and competence. Terms related to MAiD, including voluntary stopping of eating and drinking, and the current U.S. legal context for social work practice in this area are also described herein.

[Turkey] “Life still has meaning for me!” Exploring sources of meaningful life among palliative care patients: A qualitative studySupportive Care in Cancer; by Hazal Sonbahar Ulu, Güleser Güney Yılmaz, Ayşenur Baysal Yiğit, Elif Merve Cesur, Şeyma Sarışen, Rıfat Bozkuş, Sedef Şahin; 9/26 Palliative care has increasingly shifted from a biomedical model toward holistic approaches that address physical, psychological, social, and spiritual needs. Meaning in life is a key determinant of quality of life in advanced illness, yet patient perspectives on how meaning is constructed within inpatient settings remain underexplored. This study aimed to explore how individuals receiving inpatient palliative care at a tertiary hospital in Turkey construct and sustain meaning in their daily lives. Meaning in palliative care appears to be sustained through social connectedness, spirituality, hope, participation in meaningful occupations, supportive environments, and continuity of identity. Integrating occupation-focused interventions, spiritual care, and environmental modifications within palliative care services may help preserve continuity, dignity, and emotional well-being.

Assumptions and principles for responsible AI development and use in grief and bereavement careDeath Studies; by Melissa Lunardini, Chris Hall, Larissa Hjorth, Phyllis Kosminsky, Val Massdorp, Andy Hau Yan Ho, International Work Group on Death, Dying and Bereavement (IWG); 9/26The rapid integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into grief and bereavement care represents a significant technological shift with therapeutic potential and ethical complexity. This paper establishes evidence-informed assumptions and principles to guide the responsible development and use of AI technologies in grief support, addressing the needs of bereaved individuals, families, communities, professionals, technology developers, and policymakers. We conclude that AI technologies can complement human-centered grief support through responsible development characterized by interdisciplinary collaboration, transparency, cultural sensitivity, and an unwavering commitment to human dignity and welfare over commercial interests.

End-of-life care patterns by transplant eligibility among patients with end stage kidney diseaseJournal of Pain & Symptom Management; by Annie Liu, Jennifer F.N. Kizza-Brown, Ayman Al Jurdi, Ayesha M. Malik, Anushka Dalvi, Sharneet Sandhu, Lina Nurhussien, Nora K. Horick, Onyenma E. Obiejesie, Grace Bizup, Malia Armstrong, Kassem Safa, Sahir Kalim, Samantha Gelfand, Joshua Lakin, James A. Tulsky, Areej El-Jawahri, Nneka N. Ufere; 9/26Adults with end stage kidney disease (ESKD) often spend years awaiting kidney transplantation, during which transplant listing status frequently changes from active to inactive – a phase marked by evolving expectations. In the last year of life, patients had a median of two emergency department visits ... , two hospitalizations ... , and 25 cumulative hospital days ... Overall, 61% died in the hospital and 59% remained full code at death, and 18% were referred to hospice (median stay four days ... ) Conclusion: Adults with ESKD on dialysis experience intensive end-of-life care regardless of transplant eligibility. Switches to inactive status may represent a clinical inflection point to address prognostic understanding and transplant expectations.

Top ten tips palliative care clinicians should know about caring for people with interstitial lung diseasesJournal of Palliative Medicine; by Jyothsna Kuriakose, Jacopo D'Andria Ursoleo, Barney Isaac, Balamugesh Thangakunam, Donald R Sullivan, Kathleen Lindell, Anne-Marie Russell, Rachel Hadler, Matthew Maddocks, Natalia Smirnova, Russell Portenoy, M R Rajagopal, Sarah Mohammed, Anand S Iyer, Smriti Rana, Natasha Smallwood, Christopher A Jones, Jenifer Jeba Sundararaj; 9/26Interstitial lung diseases (ILD) represent a heterogenous group of illnesses with significant multidimensional suffering and varied prognoses. The complex care needs of people with ILD and their caregivers are underrecognized and incompletely addressed. This gap necessitates shared care by a multidisciplinary team along the illness trajectory. PC [palliative care] clinicians need to understand the illness patterns, prognoses, therapeutic options including lung transplant, symptom management, and other supportive interventions in ILD care. This article distills the current evidence into 10 practical tips to assist PC clinicians in delivering comprehensive care to people with ILD. Well-informed PC teams can significantly influence the illness experience of individuals with ILD and their caregivers, thereby reducing serious health-related suffering.

Communication and support needs of dementia care partners at end-of-lifeAmerican Journal of Hospice & Palliative Medicine; by Jordan M. Alpert, Michael B. Rothberg, Michael K. Paasche-Orlow, Ardeshir Z. Hashmi, Silvia Perez-Protto, Jacqueline Fox, Elaine Wittenberg; 9/26Care partners of people with dementia have many responsibilities, including providing care at end-of-life (EOL). Discussions about EOL are often delayed until late in the course of disease, if they occur at all. We found that clinician-initiated discussions and a positive perception of the clinician-care partner relationship contributed to care partners’ willingness to communicate. Care partners usually waited for clinicians to bring up EOL topics and felt apprehensive about these discussions, which hampered their ability to communicate effectively about EOL. Information-seeking was constrained by uncertainty about timing, lack of private discussion opportunities, and perceived limited personalization.

Ethics and professionalism in artificial intelligence and medical practice: A position paper from the American College of PhysiciansAnnals of Internal Medicine; by Matthew DeCamp, Lois Snyder Sulmasy, Kyle E. Karches, for the Ethics, Professionalism and Human Rights Committee of the American College of PhysiciansArtificial intelligence (AI) in health care is being rapidly adopted in perhaps one of the most rapid implementations of technology in medicine to date. Better thought of as augmented intelligence, as a tool that provides assistance to physicians and patients, many guidelines for its use have been issued, but consensus has not yet been achieved on issues such as privacy, disclosure, and fairness. Patients and physicians need ethical guidance at the point of care. Three guideposts described in this American College of Physicians position paper and rooted in the patient–physician relationship—principles of medical ethics, clinical integrity, and physician-independent practical reasoning—can inform the ethical use of AI: relationality, self-governance, and competence. This paper examines the implications of AI for patients, physicians, and health care and provides guidance for its ethical use.