Literature Review

 The impact of assisted dying legislation on nursing practice in palliative care: a scoping review Journal of Advanced Nursing; by Marlene Werner, Christiane Kreyer, Sabine Pleschberger; 6/5/26 Aim: To review the literature on the state of research on the impacts of assisted dying on nursing practice within specialised palliative care. Results: Fifteen studies published between 2019 and 2024, all from Canada or the United States, met the inclusion criteria. Three themes were identified: (1) positioning and meaning, describing how nurses are required to position themselves and to renegotiate their values; (2) impact on core competencies, capturing changes in key nursing responsibilities; and (3) challenges in interpersonal relationships, referring to increased team conflicts and shifts in relationships with patients and their families. 

[Italy] Understanding the evolving role of early palliative care in myelodysplastic syndromes: A 2026 narrative reviewAnnals of Hematology; by Pasquale Niscola, Valentina Gianfelici, Marco Giovannini, Carla Mazzone, Maria Ilaria Del Principe; 5/26Myelodysplastic Syndromes/Neoplasms (MDS) are a heterogeneous group of blood cancers characterized by a broad spectrum of symptoms and varying impacts on quality of life (QoL). Although the integration of early PC care has long been recognized as an essential part of comprehensive management for patients with solid tumors, experience in the context of MDS is still limited. However, symptom control, QoL, advanced care planning goals, the reduction of aggressive therapies, intensive care use, including intubation before death, and resource use in the end-of-life (EOL) phase are critical issues that are enhanced through early PC in MDS management. Additionally, integrating standard hematological measures with early PC leads to fewer visits and hospital admissions near the EOL, particularly during the last 30 days. Moreover, patients with early PC die at home or in hospice care at a rate nearly in line with their preferences.

Hospice enrollments from the Emergency Department feature short admissions and high-acuity hospice care Health Affairs; by Helen P. Knight, Kourosh Ravvaz, Alexander Fiksdal, Lin Shen, Isaac S. Chua, Claire K. Ankuda, Haiden A. Huskamp, Hojjat Salmasian, Joan M. Teno, and David W. Bates; 6/1/26 ... The 10 percent of hospice agencies with the highest proportion of ED-to-hospice enrollments were less often for-profit than agencies ranked below the fiftieth percentile in respect to proportion of ED-to-hospice enrollments. Further research is needed to increase understanding of how much patients benefit from ED-to-hospice transfers when their hospice stays before death are very short, and what drivers lead to these ED-to-hospice transfers.

How AI’s growing role in nursing raises questions about safety, ethics, and human care: Penn nursing report cautions that AI systems may add rather than reduce costs and workflow burdensPenn LDI - Leonard Davis Institute of Health Economics; by Hoag Levins; 5/27/26 As artificial intelligence systems spread through hospitals and clinics, a growing debate is emerging over whether the technology will ultimately strengthen nursing care — or gradually replace parts of it. That tension is at the center of a new University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing report, “Artificial Intelligence and Nursing Science: Opportunities, Challenges, Implications, and Guidelines,” published in the May-June 2026 edition of Nursing Outlook.

Voluntarily stopping eating and drinking (VSED) with hospice support in America: A case seriesJournal of Pain and Symptom Management; by Hope A Wechkin, Elizabeth T Loggers; 5/26Despite increasing public awareness of voluntary stopping of eating and drinking (VSED), there are no descriptions of the clinical course of US patients who pursue VSED, with or without hospice support... We employed retrospective chart review methodology to review a consecutive case series of 20 patients who requested and received hospice support for VSED... While this study has significant limitations, VSED was completed by all who initiated the process and death generally occurred within 10 days. Therefore, those initiating VSED should be considered eligible for hospice care, with care initiated quickly. Symptoms during VSED were typical of hospice patients and can be managed using common hospice techniques and medications.

Ketamine for depression in serious illness: Evidence, safety, and practical approachesJournal of Pain & Symptom Management; by Paul Noufi, Joshua B. Borris, Danielle Chammas, Cara L. McDermott, Nneka N. Ufere, Jason A. Webb, Daniel Shalev; 4/26Patients with serious illness and short prognoses often experience depression and suicidal ideation. Traditional antidepressants are limited by delayed onset, creating a need for rapidly acting therapies. Ketamine and esketamine [nasal spray] offer the strongest evidence among rapid-acting antidepressants and may be preferred when urgent symptom relief is needed. However, rigorous psychiatric trials in serious illness are lacking. Clinicians should consider prognosis, access to Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategies-certified esketamine programs or equivalent regulatory frameworks outside the US, and the need for an appropriate maintenance regimen when integrating ketamine into palliative care depression management.