Literature Review

All posts tagged with “Research News | Journal Article.”



Palliative care in the intensive care unit: An integrative review of intensive care unit health care professionals' views and experiences

04/02/25 at 03:00 AM

Palliative care in the intensive care unit: An integrative review of intensive care unit health care professionals' views and experiences Dimensions of Critical Care Nursing (DCCN); by Berit Lindahl and Susan Kirk; May-Jun 2025 ... Our findings suggest there is variation in how palliative care in the ICU is conceptualized and interpreted. Intensive care unit professionals need enhanced competencies and training to develop their confidence in providing palliative care and improve role clarity. Such training should focus on serious illness conversations with patients/families and interdisciplinary teamwork. Integration of palliative consultants into the ICU could be further developed.

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Multidisciplinary clinician perceptions on utility of a machine learning tool (ALERT) to predict 6-month mortality and improve end-of-life outcomes for advanced cancer patients

03/29/25 at 03:30 AM

Multidisciplinary clinician perceptions on utility of a machine learning tool (ALERT) to predict 6-month mortality and improve end-of-life outcomes for advanced cancer patientsCancer Medicine; Nithya Krishnamurthy, Melanie Besculides, Ksenia Gorbenko, Melissa Mazor, Marsha Augustin, Jose Morillo, Marcos Vargas, Cardinale B. Smith; 3/25There are significant disparities in outcomes at the end-of-life (EOL) for minoritized patients with advanced cancer, with most dying without a documented serious illness conversation (SIC). This study aims to assess clinician perceptions of the utility and challenges of implementing a machine learning [ML] model (ALERT) to predict 6-month mortality among patients with advanced solid cancers to prompt timely SIC. Our study found that clinicians expressed widespread acceptability of ALERT and identified clear benefits, particularly in triggering earlier SIC and standardizing prognosis discussions across care teams. [Additionally,] a recent study found that ML prognostic models decreased use of aggressive chemotherapy at EOL and increased SIC frequency fourfold.

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Bioethics Artificial Intelligence Advisory (BAIA): An Agentic Artificial Intelligence (AI) framework for bioethical clinical decision support

03/29/25 at 03:25 AM

Bioethics Artificial Intelligence Advisory (BAIA): An Agentic Artificial Intelligence (AI) framework for bioethical clinical decision support Cureus; by Taposh P. Dutta Roy; 3/12/25 Healthcare professionals face complex ethical dilemmas in clinical settings in cases involving end-of-life care, informed consent, and surrogate decision-making. These nuanced situations often lead to moral distress among care providers. This paper introduces the Bioethics Artificial Intelligence Advisory (BAIA) framework, a novel and innovative approach that leverages artificial intelligence (AI) to support clinical ethical decision-making. The BAIA framework integrates multiple bioethical approaches, including principlism, casuistry, and narrative ethics, with advanced AI capabilities to provide comprehensive decision support. 

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Ethics in patient preferences for artificial intelligence–drafted responses to electronic messages

03/29/25 at 03:20 AM

Ethics in patient preferences for artificial intelligence–drafted responses to electronic messagesJAMA Network Open; Joanna S. Cavalier, MD; Benjamin A. Goldstein, PhD; Vardit Ravitsky, PhD; Jean-Christophe Bélisle-Pipon, PhD; Armando Bedoya, MD, MMCi; Jennifer Maddocks, PT, MMCi; Sam Klotman, MPH; Matthew Roman, PT, MHA, MMCi; Jessica Sperling, PhD; Chun Xu, MB; Eric G. Poon, MD, MPH; Anand Chowdhury, MD, MMCi; 3/25The rise of electronic communication sent to clinicians via the patient portal has directly led to clinician burnout and dissatisfaction. With patients increasingly messaging their clinicians, replying to in-basket messages (akin to email) has become a burdensome task consisting of medical questions, refill requests, and administrative and scheduling requests. This survey study of 1,455 respondents showed that while overall satisfaction was high (>75%) regardless of author, respondents preferred responses written by AI [artificial intelligence] over those written by a human ... However, when an AI author was disclosed, satisfaction was lower for AI compared with a human author ... Meaning: Reduced satisfaction due to AI disclosure should be balanced with the importance of patient autonomy and empowerment.

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Children as living solid organ donors: Ethical discussion and model hospital policy statement

03/29/25 at 03:15 AM

Children as living solid organ donors: Ethical discussion and model hospital policy statementThe Journal of Clinical Ethics; Gyan C. Moorthy, Aidan P. Crowley, and Sandra Amaral' Spring 2025In recent years, more attention has been paid to living donation as a means to reduce the suffering of individuals with end-stage kidney or liver disease. Implicated ethical issues include medical risk and risk of coercion, counterbalanced by improved medical outcomes and the benefits of saving a life. Living donation becomes particularly ethically complicated with the prospect of child donation, given the child’s developing autonomy and uniquely dependent status. We outline four broad ethical considerations pertinent to living child organ donation: (1) beneficence, (2) respect for the family as a moral unit, (3) respect for the child as a person, and (4) justice. We conclude that it can be ethical for a healthy child to donate a kidney or liver lobe to a close relative who has exhausted other options provided that certain protections are put into place.

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Racial disparities in ALS progression: Time to clinical events observed in a single center

03/29/25 at 03:10 AM

Racial disparities in ALS progression: Time to clinical events observed in a single center Wiley Online Library; by Shanshan Chen, Demetrius Carter, Jillian Prier, JoBeth Bingham, Shital Patel, Manisha Kotay, Paula Burke Brockenbrough, Kelly Gwathmey; 3/10/25 Studies examining racial differences in ALS have previously focused on diagnostic delay and disease severity. Time to critical clinical events has rarely been investigated, despite its importance in revealing differences in ALS patients' disease courses. This study explores racial disparities in time to specific clinical events in Black and non-Hispanic White ALS patients at a single center. ... Our single-center findings demonstrate a large racial difference in time to clinical events for Black versus White ALS patients referred for NIV, AAC, hospice, and wheelchair, suggesting more advanced disease at the time of presentation or more rapid progression.

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[Canada] Death doulas’ experiences with and perspectives on unusual end-of-life phenomena

03/29/25 at 03:05 AM

[Canada] Death doulas’ experiences with and perspectives on unusual end-of-life phenomenaOmega-Journal of Death and Dying; Stephen Claxton-Oldfield, Madeleine de Ste-Croix Killoran; 2/25In this article, the term ‘unusual end-of-life phenomena’ (EOLP) is used to refer to extraordinary experiences that can happen when someone is approaching death, at the time of death, and after death. Consistent with the results of previous studies involving people who work with the dying (i.e., doctors, nurses, hospice palliative care volunteers, nursing home staff) death doulas had commonly observed or been told about various EOLP in their work supporting people through the dying process. Deathbed visions were the most witnessed and reported EOLP. Death doulas indicated that they were comfortable talking about EOLP with their clients and clients’ families and most or almost all endorsed spiritual or transpersonal explanations for EOLP over scientific or medical ones. Death doulas have an important role to play in normalizing, validating, and educating their clients and clients’ families about EOLP.

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Population-based payments to deliver health care to unhoused individuals

03/29/25 at 03:05 AM

Population-based payments to deliver health care to unhoused individualsJAMA Health Forum; Sudhakar V. Nuti, MD, MSc; Amanda K. Johnson, MD, MBA; Theodore Long, MD, MHS; 3/25The 770,000 people experiencing homelessness in the US have a high prevalence of disease and high health care utilization. Compared to the general population, unhoused individuals in the US have a 3.5 times higher mortality rate and 27-year reduced life expectancy. To this end, we propose population-based payment models (PBPs) as a novel mechanism to provide increased, stable, and predictable funding for health care for unhoused individuals. PBPs are the most advanced category of value-based alternative payment models, where health care organizations are given a prospective payment to care for a population of patients, with the flexibility to tailor care without incentivizes to optimize billable encounters, while being held accountable for improved outcomes and costs. The flexibility in how to invest and earn funding is essential for focused investment in these models, as increased reimbursement alone is insufficient.

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Quality of life in heart failure. The heart of the matter. A scientific statement of the Heart Failure Association and the European Association of Preventive Cardiology of the European Society of Cardiology

03/29/25 at 03:00 AM

Quality of life in heart failure. The heart of the matter. A scientific statement of the Heart Failure Association and the European Association of Preventive Cardiology of the European Society of CardiologyEuropean Journal of Heart Failure; Maurizio Volterrani, Geza Halasz, Stamatis Adamopoulos, Pier Giuseppe Agostoni, Javed Butler, Andrew J.S. Coats, Alan Cohen-Solal, Wolfram Doehner, Gerasimos Filippatos, Ewa Jankowska, Carolyn S.P. Lam, Ekaterini Lambrinou, Lars H. Lund, Giuseppe Rosano, Marco Metra, Stefania Paolillo, Pasquale Perrone Filardi, Amina Rakisheva, Gianluigi Savarese, Petar Seferovic, Carlo Gabriele Tocchetti, Massimo Piepoli; 3/25 Patients with heart failure (HF) experience much worse QoL [quality of life] and effort intolerance than both the general population and people with other chronic conditions, since they present a range of physical and psychological symptoms, including shortness of breath, chest discomfort, fatigue, fluid congestion, trouble with sleeping, and depression. The importance of QoL for patients with HF is highlighted in a survey showing that 61% attached more weight to QoL over longevity, with 9% and 14% willing to trade 6 and 12 months, respectively, for perfect health and better QoL.It is for these reasons that the Heart Failure Association is developing a new score for QoL in HF, sensitive to mechanism-specific interventions and tailored to be sensitive to changes within individual patients. 

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[Switzerland] The use of artificial nutrition at the end-of-life: a cross-sectional survey exploring the beliefs and decision-making among physicians and nurses

03/29/25 at 03:00 AM

[Switzerland] The use of artificial nutrition at the end-of-life: a cross-sectional survey exploring the beliefs and decision-making among physicians and nursesSupport Care Cancer; by Christophe Pala, Claudia Gamond, Steffen Eychmuller, Francois Herrmann, Sophie Pautex; 3/17/25 Background: The use of artificial nutrition in the last month of life raises many concerns for patients, relatives, and healthcare professionals. Conclusion: Whereas decisions on artificial nutrition at the end of life are common they may be mostly guided by physicians and nurses' beliefs, and patients' requests more than by robust evidence. Fostering palliative care education is pivotal. Our results emphasize the need to improve physicians and nurses' awareness of the complex interplay between values and evidence when decisions concerning artificial nutrition are taken.

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[Austria] Influence of prior knowledge and experience on willingness to pay for home hospice services: a contingent valuation study

03/27/25 at 03:00 AM

[Austria] Influence of prior knowledge and experience on willingness to pay for home hospice services: a contingent valuation study International Journal of Health Economics and Management; Caroline Steigenberger, Andrea M Leiter, Uwe Siebert, Claudia Schusterschitz, Magdalena Flatscher-Thoeni; 3/25/25 Home hospice services contribute to dying in dignity by addressing medical and social needs at the end of life. ... We aim to quantify the benefits of home hospice services to society using society's monetary valuation and examine the influence of prior knowledge and experience on willingness to pay for home hospice services. A nationwide cross-sectional contingent valuation study was conducted in Austria. ... The two-part regression analysis showed a statistically significant positive impact on the probability of having a positive willingness to pay by prior knowledge of home hospice services, prior donations, and the wish of not dying alone. [Continue reading ...]Editor's note: Pair this research from Austria with today's USA post, "Medicare and 24-hour in-home hospice care: Is it covered?" Too often, we take for granted our Hospice Medicare payment system. Some choose to misuse it in ways that lead to fraud. This research reinforces openess to hospice services per "prior knowledge of home hospice services, prior donations, and the wish of not dying alone."

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Assisted ventilation withdrawal in motor neuron disease: updated results

03/26/25 at 03:00 AM

Assisted ventilation withdrawal in motor neuron disease: updated results BMJ Supportive & Palliative Care; by Lucy Bleazard, Jonathan Palmer, David Wenzel, Thomas Jeffery, and Christina Faull; 3/24/25 Introduction: Patients with ventilator-dependent motor neuron disease (MND) may request withdrawal of their assisted ventilation. Facilitating this process as a healthcare professional (HCP) can be emotionally and practically challenging. The Association for Palliative Medicine (APM) issued guidance to support HCPs and invited anonymised accounts of the withdrawal process to provide an update on the guidance. ... Results: Younger patients tended to need higher doses to achieve adequate symptom management prior to withdrawal. Practices of weaning the ventilator varied significantly between respondents. The median time to death following withdrawal of ventilation was 30 min, with three-quarters of patients dying within 2 hours. Conclusion: This is the largest data set to date regarding the withdrawal of assisted ventilation in MND. This updated analysis reaffirms that a personalised, titrated approach remains appropriate and effective. The revised APM Guidance 2025 incorporates new sections on recommendations for managing the ventilator. [Continue reading ...]

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Community health workers and technology interventions' impact on palliative support globally: A Scoping Review of Randomized Controlled Trials

03/24/25 at 03:00 AM

Community health workers and technology interventions' impact on palliative support globally Journal of Palliative Medicine; by Alekhya Gunturi, Margarita Pertierra, Irma Elizabeth Huayanay Espinoza, Maya Kavita Ramachandran, Mpho Ratshikana Moloko, Karl A Lorenz; 3/20/25Background: Palliative care has the potential to relieve burdened global health systems but is in short supply in many low-resource settings. Community health workers (CHWs) and digital health tools/telephonic support have the potential to scale scarce palliative care resources and improve outcomes for seriously ill adults in home/community settings.  Conclusions: CHWs and digital health/telephony can improve quality of life, health care use, and caregiver support. Most research focuses on physical and psychological aspects of care instead of cultural aspects of care. Future research is needed to explore culturally tailored interventions in minority populations and low- and middle-income countries, as well as investigate emerging remote technologies to allow for scaling palliative care into home/community settings.Editor's note: Pair this with Hospice community responds to proposed DEA telehealth prescribing rule, posted 3/21/25.

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[Germany] Web-based educational tools and decision aids for patients with advanced cancer: A systematic review

03/22/25 at 03:55 AM

[Germany] Web-based educational tools and decision aids for patients with advanced cancer: A systematic reviewPatient Education and Counseling; Phoebe Ullrich, Henrike Voß, Laura Unsöld, Michael Thomas, Matthias Villalobos; 2/25In advanced cancer care, patient involvement in decision-making is complex. Web-based solutions are promising because of easy accessibility and dissemination and the ability to adapt information to patients' needs and new treatment developments. Still, only a few evidence-based web-based educational tools and decision aids are available. Filling this gap is essential to empower patients to make informed and goal-concordant treatment decisions.

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[UK] Why we need to consider frailty in the assisted dying debate

03/22/25 at 03:55 AM

[UK] Why we need to consider frailty in the assisted dying debateAge and Aging; Sarah A Hopkins, Annabel Price, Simon N Etkind; 2/25Assisted dying/assisted suicide (AD/AS) is legal or decriminalised in several countries and Bills to legalise it are currently being considered by the UK and Scottish Parliaments. Older adults living with frailty make up an increasing proportion of those who die, yet the possible implications of AD/AS for these individuals are relatively unexplored. Frailty complicates AD/AS in relation to eligibility because of ambiguity over whether frailty constitutes a terminal illness, challenges in accurately predicting prognosis, and difficulty determining reversibility of suffering. Frailty also blurs the distinction between terminal illness and disability, in contrast to the clear-cut language of current proposed legislation where those with a terminal illness are eligible, but those with disability are not. Further consideration is needed regarding eligibility, safeguards in the context of relational autonomy and for those who already feel a burden, and how to mitigate risks of further entrenching ableist and ageist attitudes.

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Employer-sponsored digital health platforms for mental wellness—A good investment

03/22/25 at 03:50 AM

Employer-sponsored digital health platforms for mental wellness—A good investmentJAMA Network Open; Molly Candon, PhD; Rebecca E. Stewart, PhD; 2/25The authors evaluate an employer-sponsored digital health platform (Spring Health; Spring Care Inc) that screens employees for mental health conditions and, when warranted, connects them to treatment. Hawrilenko et al found a reduction in health care spending among digital health platform users compared with a matched comparison group. These findings contribute to a broader literature that considers the economic value of employer-sponsored interventions aimed at mental wellness ... There are broader implications of the study by Hawrilenko et al, because employer-sponsored digital health platforms are among the quickest and easiest pathways to grant a majority of US individuals accessible mental health care. 

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Feasibility study of using electronic patient-reported outcomes to screen patients with advanced solid cancers for palliative care needs

03/22/25 at 03:50 AM

Feasibility study of using electronic patient-reported outcomes to screen patients with advanced solid cancers for palliative care needsJournal of Palliative Medicine; Tara L Kaufmann, Matthew Kearney, Dagoberto Cortez, John W Saxton, Katie Goodfellow, Carolyn Smith, Patrick Chang, Katherine Sebastian, Aaron Galaznik, Julie Scott, Elizabeth Ann Kvale, Arif H Kamal, Antonia V Bennett, Angela M Stover, Ashley M Henneghan, Michael Pignone, Gabrielle Betty Rocque; 3/25Standardized, needs-based screening and triage systems are essential to more effectively address patients' palliative care needs. We developed a 13-item ePRO [electronic patient-reported outcomes] palliative care survey to assess multidimensional palliative care needs and conducted a pilot study (n = 25) of a palliative care screening intervention using ePRO monitoring and presentation of ePRO reports to a multidisciplinary care team. Patients found the ePRO palliative survey acceptable and appropriate. Screening patients for unmet palliative needs using ePRO monitoring is feasible, acceptable, and appropriate among patients, but more work is needed to understand the perspectives of diverse patients and how to integrate ePRO palliative care screening into clinical workflows.

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Evaluating performance of the Surprise Question to predict 12-month mortality in patients with end-stage liver disease

03/22/25 at 03:45 AM

Evaluating performance of the Surprise Question to predict 12-month mortality in patients with end-stage liver diseaseAmerican Journal of Hospice and Palliative Care; Sarah Homann, MD; Jamie Pfaff, MD; Elizabeth Stovicek, MD; Rajiv Agarwal, MD, MSC;, Sumathi K. Misra, MD, MPH; Jill M. Pulley, MBA; Justin K. Siemann, PhD; Ashley Spann, MD, MSCAI; Stacey Tillman, MD; Cheryl L. Gatto, PhD; Mohana Karlekar, MD; 2/25ESLD [end-stage liver disease] is associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Early PC engagement has been proposed as a solution to improve the physical and psychological burden associated with ESLD. ... hepatologists were asked the SQ [surprise question]: “Would you be surprised if this patient were to die in the next 12 months?” as a prompt to consider consultation to specialty PC [palliative care]. While the SQ should not be solely used as a prognostic indicator of death, our study proves that the SQ can be utilized by hepatologists as a screening tool with good sensitivity for identifying patients with ESLD who may be at higher risk of death and therefore may benefit from PC co-management.

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Inpatient use of valproic acid in agitated delirium by palliative medicine

03/22/25 at 03:40 AM

Inpatient use of valproic acid in agitated delirium by palliative medicineAmerican Journal of Hospice and Palliative Medicine; Sarah Jacobs, DO; Leah Herbst, DO; Carlos Fernandez, MD; Zankhana Y. Mehta, MD; Amanda Young, MS; Mellar P. Davis, MD; 2/25Valproic acid (VPA), an anti-epileptic medication available in intravenous and parenteral forms, has recently been used to treat agitation associated with delirium. VPA as an adjunct in treating delirium has been reported to be opioid, antipsychotic and benzodiazepine sparing. ... this study did show that 50% of patients did not require benzodiazepines or antipsychotics at all, and that VPA might have a role in sparing the use of medications such as antipsychotics and benzodiazepines which have poor evidence in the management of agitation in delirium.

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Perceptions of patient-clinician communication among adults with and without serious illness

03/22/25 at 03:35 AM

Perceptions of patient-clinician communication among adults with and without serious illnessJAMA Network Open; Carine Davila, Sarah Nouri, Stephanie H Chan, Brian Feltz, Anna Gosline, Zamawa Arenas, Jane Kavanagh, Joanna Paladino, Lindsay A Dow, Vicki A Jackson, Rebecca Sudore, Christine S Ritchie, Elizabeth Lindenberger; 3/25In this cross-sectional study, adults with serious illness more often had worse patient-clinician communication experiences. Compared with adults without serious illness, adults with serious illness were more likely to report leaving a visit unsure about next steps ...; being afraid to ask questions or speak up ...; believing they were talked down to or made to feel inferior...; and believing that they were treated unfairly by clinicians ... Further research is needed to better understand and develop interventions to improve perceptions of patient-clinician communication experiences for adults with serious illness.

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Prevalence of depression and anxiety among adults with chronic pain-A systematic review and meta-analysis

03/22/25 at 03:15 AM

Prevalence of depression and anxiety among adults with chronic pain-A systematic review and meta-analysisJAMA Network Open; Rachel V. Aaron, PhD; Scott G. Ravyts, PhD; Nicolette D. Carnahan, PhD; Kavya Bhattiprolu, BS; Nicole Harte, MClinPsychol; Claire C. McCaulley, BA; Lauren Vitalicia; Alexandria B. Rogers, PhD; Stephen T. Wegener, PhD; Joanne Dudeney, PhD; 3/25Chronic pain, defined as pain that persists for more than 3 months, is a prevalent and disabling condition affecting 21% of adults. In this systematic review and meta-analysis of depression and anxiety among individuals with chronic pain, approximately 40% of adults had clinically significant depression and anxiety. Women, younger people, and people with nociplastic pain were most likely to have depression and anxiety. The co-occurrence of chronic pain with depression and anxiety is a significant public health concern necessitating routine screening in clinical settings, equitable access to specialty care, and innovative treatment development. 

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Nursing home residents, family members, and staff members views about a good death and preferred place of death for a nursing home resident

03/22/25 at 03:15 AM

Nursing home residents, family members, and staff members views about a good death and preferred place of death for a nursing home residentOmega-Journal of Death and Dying; Janet Sopcheck, Ruth M. Tappen; 2/25Our study ... revealed that residents, like family members and staff members, had mixed opinions of the place of death for the NH resident, highlighting the importance of having advance care planning sessions with residents and their families to gain an understanding regarding their choices. Our study found the predominant and common qualities across the three participant groups of a good death include painless or pain-free, without suffering, peaceful, quiet, and dying in my sleep. Interestingly, almost one-fifth of the participants disagreed with the term good death, offering that death is not good as the person is no longer alive. Based on this study’s finding, using the term a good death in research and in advance care planning sessions may not be relevant or appropriate and instead focus on what care is necessary to promote a natural death, as mentioned by a few participants.

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Medical interpreters’ experiences with patients who are near end-of-life and their family members

03/22/25 at 03:15 AM

Medical interpreters’ experiences with patients who are near end-of-life and their family membersJournal of Pain and Symptom Management; Joycelyn Howard DNP, RN, AGCNS, ACHPN ; Alexia M. Torke MD, MS; Susan E. Hickman PhD; Greg Sachs MD; Sylk Sotto-Santiago EdD, MBA, MPS; James E. Slaven MS, MA; Denise Robinson PhD, RN, FNP; 3/25In 2019 the United States Census Bureau reported 8% of the United States Population “speak English less than very well”. Ensuring individuals with a non-English language preference (NELP), previously referred to as limited English proficiency, have equitable access to healthcare includes providing high quality interpreter services. Although self-efficacy for interpreting EOL [end of life]conversations is generally high, interpreters desire education about EOL care. Interventions are also needed to address the high emotional toll of interpreting EOL conversations. Education and training about EOL care may help them to not only convey information accurately but also cope with emotional nuances characteristic of these significant conversations, ultimately elevating the quality of care for patients and family members in vulnerable and important moments.

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Disparities in end-of-life symptom burden linked to complex interplay among wealth, health, and social support

03/22/25 at 03:05 AM

Disparities in end-of-life symptom burden linked to complex interplay among wealth, health, and social supportJAMA Network Open; Peter A. Boling, MD; 3/25On average, US health care spending in the last year of life alone was $80,000, with 12% ($9,500) being out of pocket and mostly incurred before the final 6 months. This problem worsened in the past decade when the nonspecific diagnosis of failure to thrive was removed as a condition eligible for hospice care and more stringent definitions were applied for dementia, which became the next bubble as the hospice balloon was squeezed. Hospice care is a means of reducing symptom burden, but the Medicare payment model discourages prolonged enrollment during slowly progressing advanced chronic illness and effectively limits funding of social support during hospice care, which is particularly problematic for patients with cognitive and functional impairment and for their friends and families. Considering suffering as a medical condition warranting treatment rather than a social problem requiring support services might help with the evolution of a Medicare policy that might provide a more graduated approach to end-of-life care.

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Sarcopenia in terminally ill patients with cancer: Clinical implications, diagnostic challenges, and management strategies

03/17/25 at 03:00 AM

Sarcopenia in terminally ill patients with cancer: Clinical implications, diagnostic challenges, and management strategies Journal of Hospice & Palliative Care; by Se-Il Go, Myoung Hee Kang, and Hoon-Gu Kim; 3/1/25 Sarcopenia, characterized by progressive loss of skeletal muscle mass and strength, is a prevalent but often overlooked condition in patients with cancer who are terminally ill. It contributes to functional decline, increased symptom burden, and reduced quality of life, yet remains underrecognized in palliative care. Diagnosing sarcopenia in this population is challenging because conventional imaging techniques are often impractical. Instead, alternative assessments, such as the Strength, Assistance with walking, Rise from a chair, Climb stairs, and Falls questionnaire (SARC-F), anthropometric measurements, and bioelectrical impedance analysis offer feasible options. Management should focus on symptom relief, functional preservation, and patient comfort, rather than on muscle mass restoration.

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