Literature Review

Music in the last hours: finding humanity in the ICUAmerican Journal of Hospice and Palliative Medicine, from Piura, Peru; Carlos F. Ugas-Charcape, MD, PhD and Cristopher A. Tarazona Chapilliquen; 3/27/26Objective: To describe the use of personalized music as a comfort measure during the final hours of life in the ICU and reflect on its impact on the patient, family, and care environment. ...Conclusions: Personalized music represents a simple, patient-centered adjunct that may enhance comfort and dignity in the final hours of life.Editor's Note: For more detailed research, case studies and therapeutic guidance for using music in the "last hours" with hospice and palliative patients and families, I invite you to explore "The Final Cadence," a chapter in my book Music of the Soul - Composing Life Out of Life. 

Connecting palliative care and age‑friendly care to support what matters most Institute for Healthcare Improvement; by Marian Grant; 4/8/26 ... The 4Ms Framework of an Age-Friendly Health System identifies the core subjects that should drive the care of older adults. The 4Ms (What Matters, Medication, Mentation, and Mobility) align with the approach of palliative care teams and are part of their comprehensive assessment. Age-friendly leaders and team members can use the expertise of palliative care colleagues to implement the 4Ms. Editor's Note: Click here for a great graphic of this "4Ms Framework." It states, "For related work, this graphic may be used in its entirety without requesting permission. Graphic files and guidance at www.ihi.org/AgeFriendly.

Improving quality for gender-diverse hospice patients Hospice News; by Holly Vossel; 4/8/26 Various factors impede the ability of transgender and gender-diverse individuals to receive goal-concordant care at the end of life. Individuals in the LGBTQIA+ community often face greater risks of privacy violations, cultural suppression, disrespect and trauma compared to others, according to Amanda Monteiro, palliative care social worker at Mount Sinai Hospital. ... LGBTQIA+ individuals are often referred to hospice or palliative care later in their disease trajectories compared to others, according to Dr. Alexis Drutchas, palliative care physician at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. ... Clinicians need better tools to help guide end-of-life conversations with gender-diverse patients and their loved ones, said Dr. Ramón Rodriguez, palliative care physician at Massachusetts General Hospital.Editor's Note: For a definitive, groundbreaking resource, examine LGBTQ-Inclusive Hospice and Palliative Care : A Practical Guide to Transforming Professional Practice, by Kimberly D. Acquiva. 

How does Parkinson’s progress? End-stage symptoms and what to expectMass General Brigham; by Todd M. Herrington, MD, PhD; 4/7/26 The journey with Parkinson’s disease looks extremely different from person to person. ...

How to navigate a multigenerational team in health careHomeCare; by Kimberly Skehan & Jennifer Kennedy; 4/2/26 For the first time in history, five generations are working side by side in today’s organizations. Each cohort brings distinct experiences, values, communication styles and expectations. In health care, these differences influence not only workplace culture but also how care is delivered, received and supported. Understanding generational differences is no longer a soft skill. It is a strategic competency tied directly to quality, compliance, workforce sustainability and patient experience. The 5 Generations:

Expert panel updating NCHPC’s Palliative Care Clinical Practice Guidelines Hospice News; by Kevin Ryan; 4/1/26 The National Coalition for Hospice and Palliative Care (NCHPC) has chosen a panel of 33 palliative care experts to develop the 5th edition of the Clinical Practice Guidelines for Quality Palliative Care. Originally created in 2004, through the National Consensus Project, the guidelines established the first national, evidence-based standards for the palliative care field. The guidelines have been updated four times since 2004 and have been endorsed by more than 90 health and professional health care worker organizations.  

QIM26-302: Hospice at the bedside: A Quality Improvement Initiative to improve end of life care and reduce inpatient mortality in a cancer center Journal of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network - JNCCN; by Matthew Murphy, Jacqueline Young, Hardik Thakkar, Sean Powell, Timothy Hembree, and David Buxton; 3/31/26 ...  Patients dying in the hospital may not survive transfer to external hospice units. ...  Integration of GIP Hospice beds into the hospital has streamlined delivery of timely, comprehensive EoL care for patients and bereavement support for families. The collaborative care model allows the hospital-based team to deliver care with active support from the hospice agency. Families express appreciation for the program, especially in situations when the patient is not stable for transfer.  

Language preference is associated with goals-of-care communication and end-of-life care in dementia Journal of General Internal Medicine; by Lauren R. Pollack MD, MS, Lois Downey MA, Ruth A. Engelberg PhD, James Sibley BS, Linda K. Ko PhD, Kimiko Domoto-Reilly MD, MS, Lyndia C. Brumback PhD, Annie T. Chen PhD & Rashmi K. Sharma MD, MHS; 3/30/26 Background: People with dementia and preferred language other than English (PLOE) in the United States may face communication-related barriers to high-quality end-of-life care.Objective: Compare end-of-life care characteristics among people with dementia and PLOE versus those preferring English. ... [Efforts] to improve end-of-life care for those with PLOE might prioritize ED and hospital-based interventions, recognizing their critical safety-net functions, as well as ensure that people with dementia and PLOE and their families have sufficient cultural and linguistic support to engage in high-quality end-of-life communication with their healthcare providers.Editor's Note: Pair this with today's post, "Neenah pastor finds deeper calling after brother’s hospice journey."

Top ten tips palliative care clinicians should know about wound care Journal of Palliative Medicine; by Nicole Dussault, Jared Morphew, Veronica Nwagwu, Brittany Gatta, Angela Richardson, Nancy Payne, E Foy White-Chu, Lidiette Wilson, Heather Dalton, Christopher E Winstead-Derlega, Katherine Ramos, Christopher A Jones; 3/30/26 ... In this article, we outline key tips for assessing and managing wounds, including understanding prognosis and goals of care, evaluating care settings, tailoring management to the underlying disease process, and addressing symptoms such as pain, odor, and psychosocial distress. A thoughtful, interdisciplinary approach is essential to reduce the physical and emotional burden wounds place on patients and caregivers.Editor's Note: As CMS implements the HOPE (Hospice Outcomes & Patient Evaluation) Tool as of October 1, 2025, skin and wound assessment becomes a visible quality marker in hospice—requiring structured documentation, ongoing reassessment, and clear alignment with patient goals. 

Palliative care should be integrated into cardiology therapy earlier, says study Medical Xpress; by Inka Väth; 3/25/26 An international group of authors has called for a shift in cardiovascular care. ... For clinical practice, the group of authors therefore recommends a stronger structural integration of palliative care content into cardiology. This includes interdisciplinary care teams, shared treatment models, and more intensive training in internal communication and symptom management. Palliative care should also be given greater consideration in medical education. ... Palliative care should be the standard in cardiology, not the exception. After all, the success of sustainable cardiology will not be measured solely by how long people live, but by how well they can live.

HMN 2026: How Nursing’s moral agency cannot be outsourced to AI Health Medicine Network; by George Demiris, PhD, Patricia Brennan, PhD. Oonjee Oh, MSN, and Sang Bin You, MSN; 3/24/26 ... Recommendations for health  systems: The article emphasizes that nurses must not be passive users of technology but active leaders in its design and implementation. To preserve the public’s trust, the authors offer several critical recommendations.

It’s time to let stereotypes about older adults die McKnights Home Care; by Liza Berger; 3/6/26 They say there is strength in numbers. If that is true, the nation’s roughly 67 million baby boomers should not be afraid to speak up about how to talk to and refer to older adults. It’s time they did.  I was reminded of this after reading a smart post by Anthony Cirillo, a caregiving expert. In the post, he talked about how people (younger ones primarily) casually make ageist comments without realizing the harm they cause. Cirillo gives the examples of a young adult referring to him as “Pops” and another asking him if he knows how to use an iPhone.Editor's Note: One of the worst memories for me about my dad's last week of life was the way a physical therapist spoke to my dad--our gentle, gentle-man-ly giant of a man in both character and stature. Fortunately, I was a strong advocate and asked him (in her presence), "Dad, am I saying it right?" Even in his vulnerable state, he voiced, "Yes. ... Yes." There was no apology. No follow-up. Years later, I invite you to pair these descriptions with our 2025 post, "Honey, Sweetie, Dearie: The perils of elderspeak."