Literature Review

Trauma-informed palliative care: A systematic scoping review of evidence sources describing concepts relevant to an emerging field of practice Palliative Medicine; by Rebecca Salama, Jane Simpson, Fiona J. R. Eccles, Maddy French; 3/23/26 Background: Trauma-informed palliative care aims to improve end-of-life experiences by recognising and responding to the presence of psychological trauma. While many practitioners support the approach, they also acknowledge the need to build a stronger evidence base.Results: ... the review identified a substantial body of evidence that describes concepts relevant to its approach. These findings provide a valuable starting point for future research.

What we get wrong about comfort at the end of life: Jennifer Martnick Cleveland.com, Cleveland, OH; by guest columnist Jennifer Martnick; 3/22/26 When people hear the word comfort in the context of serious illness or the end of life, they often picture something passive. A quiet room. Soft blankets. And a sense that medical care has somehow stepped back. That misunderstanding is one of the most persistent myths in health care. Comfort care is not about doing less. In many ways, it requires more skill, more attention and more presence than almost any other kind of medicine. At Reserve Care (formerly Hospice of the Western Reserve), comfort care means active, expert care delivered by clinicians trained to manage pain, ease symptoms and support the emotional and spiritual needs of patients and families facing serious illness.

“We make our own families”: Do child-free people die alone? Hospice worker shares her experience Daily Dot; by Rebecca Leib; 3/18/26 According to a longtime hospice worker, being child-free doesn't affect end-of-life care, but having strong community ties does. The decision to have children is a deeply personal one, fraught with societal pressures and fears. One common fear is that a childless person might die alone. Recently, however, child-free advocate @wearechildfree shared a video dispelling that fear. Whether someone has kids or doesn't, she says, meaningful end-of-life care is not about children specifically, but the result of cultivating a close and loving community.

Hospital workers are revealing the heartbreaking regrets patients had on their deathbeds, and I'm at a loss for words BuzzFeed Staff; by Liz Richardson; 3/16/26 You may have heard about people's last words, but if there's anything even more haunting, it's the regrets they have on their deathbed. And, as you can imagine, those who work closely with dying patients have heard some unforgettable final regrets that stick with them for years. ... Several users shared the striking and heartbreaking regrets their patients shared, and wowww, it will hit you hard. Here's what they had to say: ... Editor's Note: This article reflects a more popularized perspective than we typically feature, but it raises themes that are deeply familiar in serious illness and end-of-life care. Hospice and palliative care teams are trained to meet these moments with presence, skilled communication, and interdisciplinary support—helping patients and families explore reflection, meaning, and connection in ways that extend far beyond the headlines.

Alliance submits comment letter on the Department of Education’s notice of proposed rulemaking, ‘Reimagining and Improving Student Education’ (RISE) National Alliance for Care at Home, Alexandria, VA and Washington, DC; Press Release; 3/3/26 The National Alliance for Care at Home (the Alliance) has submitted a response to The Department of Education’s proposed rule, titled Reimagining and Improving Student Education (RISE).  While the Alliance appreciates the Department’s aim of promoting fiscally responsible spending, the comment letter expresses concern that the proposed rule’s narrow definition of professional degree, and the resulting exclusion of nursing, physical therapy, physician assistant, occupational therapy, and social work advanced degree programs, would have a unintended consequence for the healthcare workforce and the millions of Americans who depend on care delivered in the home.

The non-professional virtues of the hospice volunteer Journal of Applied Philosophy; by Michael B. Gill; 3/12/26 Volunteers have long played a significant role in hospice care. Much of the care volunteers provide consists of weekly hour-long in-home visits. Home-visiting hospice volunteers are not professionals, nor are they strangers or intimates. Hospice volunteers will not typically face moral dilemmas, nor be called upon to make dramatic decisions. Nonetheless, hospice volunteering can exemplify a neglected area of in-between ethics – a subset of what Brownlee has called the ‘ethics of interacting’ – that can redound to the wellbeing of all concerned. This article explores the in-between ethics of hospice volunteering and the opportunities it affords to cultivate virtues of attention and gratitude.

[Japan] Half of hospice and palliative care unit inpatients' family members are surprised by death Journal of Palliative Medicine; by Satoko Ito, Tatsuya Morita, Masanori Mori, Isseki Maeda, Yutaka Hatano, Takashi Yamaguchi, Hiroyuki Otani, Tetsuya Yamagiwa, Yoshiyuki Kizawa, Satoru Tsuneto, Yasuo Shima, Kento Masukawa, Mitsunori Miyashita; 3/10/26 Background: Sudden unexpected death can occur even among patients with advanced cancer receiving hospice and palliative care. How bereaved families perceive this remains unclear. ... Design/setting/subjects: We analyzed longitudinally linked data from a prospective cohort of advanced cancer patients in 23 palliative care units in Japan and a nationwide survey of bereaved families. Conclusions: Compared with physicians' perspectives, bereaved family members perceive death to be sudden or unexpected more frequently and differently, and their perceptions are associated with postbereavement mental health.

Thyme Care launches Integrated Social Support model, bringing proactive oncology social work to 8 million Americans upon diagnosis PR Newswire, Nashville, TN; by Thyme Care; 3/5/26 Thyme Care today announced the public launch of its Integrated Social Support (ISS) model, a redesigned approach to oncology navigation that positions licensed master's-level social workers as the first to intervene when members experience barriers to navigating their cancer. The announcement coincides with National Social Work Month in March, recognizing the essential role social workers play in improving health outcomes. An estimated 44% of individuals affected by cancer experience psychosocial burdens, which are associated with poorer health, clinical, and economic outcomes for patients and caregivers. Thyme Care's ISS model flips the approach by making licensed social workers one of the first points of contact for social, emotional, and practical needs, assessing members from day one and throughout their journey ...

Chronic pain and unrecognized grief: epistemic barriers to personal and social recognition Medicine, Health Care and Philosophy; by Christopher Jude McCarroll, Ying-Tung Lin, Dominik Koesling, and Claudia Bozzaro; 3/29/26 What is it to grieve? What is the nature of grief? ... Importantly, a close examination of the phenomenology of chronic pain helps illuminate the ways in which it also involves the kind of losses that we can grieve over. The losses involved in experiences of chronic pain impact one’s practical identity in ways that can lead to grief. This chronic pain grief remains largely unrecognized, however. We outline four epistemic barriers to recognizing the grief involved in experiences of chronic pain. ...

Hyperactive Delirium during hospice patients’ last week of life in a home care setting 

A nurse-led violence prevention program that cut incidents to zero Becker's Clinical Leadership; by Mariah Taylor; 3/2/26 WakeMed Raleigh (N.C.) has gone 20 consecutive months — and counting — without a single workplace violence incident on its medical-surgical unit. It is all thanks to a program created by three nurse leaders. The program started with a partnership between med-surg and psychiatric nurses. ...

Why time becomes ever more precious towards the end of our days ehospice; by Brian Dolan, OBE; 3/2/26 In health care, conversations about finance, workforce, and facilities often dominate the agenda. Yet, the most valuable and universal currency within our health systems is something less tangible but far more immediate: time. ... Time is the thread that connects patients and staff, shaping experiences, outcomes, and well-being. For patients, time is deeply personal. It is the time that comes dripping slow as hours are spent waiting in emergency departments, days of confinement to a hospital bed, and, ultimately, the quality of the life they return to when they are finally discharged. For staff, time determines how effectively they can deliver care, make decisions, and balance the demands of an increasingly pressured system. 

Do you feel like an emotional sponge? Here’s how to protect your energy and refocus Real Simple; by Nandini Maharaj; 3/1/26 It’s possible to stay compassionate without feeling drained—experts explain how. ... [There's] a difference between healthy forms of distraction—like going for a walk or taking deep breaths—and unhealthy habits. We asked mental health experts about healthy and unhealthy distractions and how to protect your energy when you’re feeling like an emotional sponge.