Literature Review

Diversity in health care institutions—Well worth the effortJAMA Network Open; Marshall Fleurant, Jada C. Bussey-Jones; 2/26The Institute of Medicine’s report, Unequal Treatment: Confronting Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Health Care, a comprehensive examination of racial disparities in health care, called for interventions and policy changes to ensure equitable access and quality of care. In this systematic review and meta-analysis, Fremont et al noted that programs that promoted equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) were associated with diversifying training programs and academic institutions while enhancing professional development among underrepresented minority groups (eg, Black or Latino/a), including in the fields of midwifery, nursing, and dentistry. These programs also were associated with improving the workforce by increasing staff and trainee retention, improving employee and patient satisfaction, and enhancing trainee self-efficacy. Continuing these initiatives are not only worthwhile but essential to truly improve the nation’s health.

Home health nurses’ perceptions of safetyHome Health Care Management & Practice; by Kiernan Riley, Kalei Crimi, Michael M. Evans, Natalie Faybisovich, Judith E. Hupcey; 2/26The purpose of this qualitative analysis was to evaluate perceived safety threats and the impact of these treats on home health nurses. Findings included overarching themes of fear and safety. Fear within practicing nurses was a consequence of impaired safety in the home setting. The theme of safety had 2 sub-themes: risks to safety, and nursing actions to enhance safety. Effective training and awareness for nuanced safety concerns, such as when caring for persons with SPMIs in a home setting, are required to enhance nurse safety and retention as well as optimize patient care.

Dementia, taboo, and the need for a cultural reckoningJournal of Aging Studies; Kelly Marnfeldt; 3/26Dementia is one of the most feared and misunderstood conditions of our time. Even as public awareness has increased, people living with dementia continue to face exclusion, moral disregard, and systemic neglect. Decades of advocacy, education, and contact-based interventions have sought to reduce stigma. [This study] proposes that dementia becomes stigmatized not only because it is misunderstood, but because it violates cultural expectations of personhood, consistency, and intelligibility. The paper concludes by proposing culturally grounded provocations that imagine what it might look like to reframe how dementia is seen, told, and recognized, both socially and culturally.

[Canada] What about the family? A content analysis of international legislative frameworks and guidelines on assisted dyingPolicy, Politics & Nursing Practice; by Charlotte Boven, Gilla K Shapiro, Liesbeth Van Humbeeck, Let Dillen, Nele Van Den Noortgate, Gary Rodin; 2/26When a person chooses assisted dying, the impact on their family can be profound. Legislation and professional guidelines not only regulate and standardize practice, but also support the delivery of high-quality care. Within this framework, bereavement care plays a vital role by helping families prepare for the death and potentially reducing the risk of prolonged grief. To improve quality care, there is a clear need to better integrate family support into assisted dying guidelines by establishing best practices for bereavement care. Future research should focus on family members' perspectives and needs.

Clinicians outline strategies to improve cancer care in U.S. prisons Oncology Times; by Kumar Das, Dibash PhD; March 2026 Cancer is now the leading cause of death in U.S. prisons, and outcomes for incarcerated patients are markedly worse than for those in the general population. A 2022 study of Connecticut's prison system found that people diagnosed with cancer while incarcerated had 92% higher mortality compared with 16% higher mortality observed in England and Wales. The difference, researchers said, underscores the role of healthcare access and correctional policy in shaping cancer survival.

John Bowlby’s theory of attachment and separation: revisiting his original visions after 50+ years, what we know today, and where to go from here?

Trends and disparities in left ventricular failure mortality in The United States: A 1999-2020 analysisJournal of Cardiac Failure; by Abdalhakim Shubietah, Hasan Munshi, Emmanuel Olumuyide, Muath Baniowda, Abdallah Hussein, Mohammad Alqadi, Qutaiba Qafisheh, Majd Oweidat, Omar Hamadi, Mohammad O Abdelhafez; 1/26 Left ventricular failure (LVF) is a significant cause of cardiovascular mortality in the United States. Despite advances in heart failure management, mortality rates have shown a notable increase over time, particularly in recent years. This study examines trends and disparities in LVF-related mortality using data from the CDC WONDER database from 1999 to 2020. LVF-related mortality has increased significantly over the past two decades, particularly after 2010, highlighting a growing public health concern. Disparities persist across sex, race, age groups, urbanization, and geographic regions. The high burden of deaths outside medical facilities suggests a need for enhanced outpatient and palliative care strategies.

Palliative care utilization and timing for patients undergoing solid organ transplantation in a large multicenter cohortTransplantation; by Matthew W Kenaston, Ryan Baldeo, Tyler K Murphy; 1/26Palliative care ... referrals in transplant programs are infrequent, often reactive, and the benefits remain unclear. We retrospectively studied 12,676 heart, liver, lung, and kidney transplants across 3 Mayo Clinic sites (2018-2024). PC encounters were classified as pretransplant (≤1 y before admission), peritransplant (during hospitalization), or posttransplant (≤1 y after discharge). Only 8.3% engaged PC, with patterns varying by organ and timing. Timing of inpatient consultation showed a strong positive correlation with hospital length of stay, and pretransplant PC coincided with higher rates of goals-of-care discussions and fewer hospital interventions. Adapting screening criteria to focus on high-risk recipients, PC was associated with fewer short-term readmissions for heart and lung recipients.

A qualitative study with patients, care-partners, clinicians, and bioethicists to identify ethical considerations of artificial intelligence tools in palliative carePalliative Medicine; by John Y. Rhee, Paul Miller, Zachary Tentor, Amanda Reich, Alexi A. Wright, Charlotta Lindvall; 1/26The use of artificial intelligence (AI) in medicine has surged. Given the sensitive nature of palliative care, it is crucial to apply AI tools in a patient-centered and ethical manner. From the interviews we extracted five main themes: (1) Primacy of the doctor-patient relationship over AI performance; (2) Humans have intuition and nuance that AI lacks; (3) Agreement about the importance of oversight of AI tools; (4) New AI technologies should include a process for patient education; and (5) AI increases efficiency, scalability, and a more unified approach to serious illness. When building and implementing AI-based tools, we recommend: establishing oversight committees; reflecting on the unique contributions of humans to care; proactively educating patients and contextualizing the tools; and ensuring data use is restricted to clinical care.

Relearning the world through grief-informed case formulation: A critique of prolonged grief disorder Journal of Humanistic Psychology; by Eleonora Ramsby Herrera, PhD; 1/31/26 Drawing on existential and humanistic frameworks, this review article critically examines the diagnosis of prolonged grief disorder and questions the usefulness of reducing grieving to a fixed set of symptoms and timelines. ... Rather than viewing grief as a disorder to be treated, the article advocates for understanding it as a natural and potentially transformative human response and argues for integrating grief into the bereaved person’s life story as a way to relearn the world.