Literature Review

When a fall becomes a death sentence for nursing home residents Justice News Flash; by Harve J.; 7/8/25 For nursing home residents, a trip to the hospital can be far more than a temporary setback it often marks the beginning of the end. According to data reviewed in a national nursing home longevity study by Gruber Law Offices, nearly 30% of older adults die within a month of hospital discharge. These figures suggest that transitions in care, rather than stabilizing vulnerable patients, may be accelerating their decline. ... Each year, nursing homes report between 100 and 200 falls, with the average resident experiencing 2.6 falls. These aren’t isolated accidents they’re indicators of systemic risk. Many residents already face mobility challenges, and understaffing makes close monitoring difficult. The result is a cycle: a fall leads to hospitalization, hospitalization increases frailty, and frailty increases the chance of further injury or death.

How to give physicians autonomy—and protect them from burnout American Medical Association (AMA); by Georgia Garvey; 7/1/25 Almost everyone appreciates having autonomy at work. But when physicians spend more than a decade in high-stakes and grueling medical training, only to enter practice with virtually no control over their work environment, schedule or day, it can lead to the kind of spiraling frustration that often turns into burnout or leaving the profession entirely. “It’s one of those things where the more you try to micromanage a physician’s schedule, the more a feeling of distrust you give to the physicians ...” said Jill Jin, MD, MPH, an internist and senior physician adviser for the AMA, one of the authors of the AMA STEPS Forward® “Value of Feeling Valued Playbook.” ... Though the percentages of those experiencing burnout have declined from the peak during the COVID-19 public health emergency, 43.2% of physicians still say they have at least one symptom of burnout.  ... When physicians feel valued—... as competent professionals who have devoted immense time and energy to becoming experts at their jobs—it is proven to be positively associated with lower levels of burnout.

A physician’s reflection on love, loss, and finding meaning in grief [podcast] The Podcast by KevinMD; KevinMD's podcast with hospitalist Jasminka Vukanovic-Crily; 7/1/25 Hospitalist Jasminka Vukanovic-Criley discusses her article, “When grief hits all at once: a morning of heartbreak and love.” Jasminka shares a deeply personal account of a Saturday morning where unexpected news of the passing of two friends, Natasa’s mother Mirjana and her friend Thomas, both from cancer, suddenly immersed her in profound grief. She reflects on the fragility of life and the ripple effect of these losses, which led to a cascade of memories: ... 

When less is more: Addressing polypharmacy in high-risk populations Pharmacy Times; by Andrew E. Esch, MD, MBA and Alain Hipensteele; 7/7/25 As digital health tools and artificial intelligence (AI)–powered clinical decision support systems become increasingly embedded in pharmacy workflows, pharmacists are gaining new opportunities to identify and address the risks of polypharmacy—particularly in high-risk populations such as older adults and those receiving palliative care. At the same time, evolving deprescribing guidelines and ongoing drug shortages have underscored the need for coordinated, patient-centered medication management strategies. In this interview with Pharmacy Times®, Andrew E. Esch, MD, MBA, director of the Palliative Care Program Development at the Center to Advance Palliative Care, discusses how pharmacists are using emerging technologies to streamline medication reviews, reduce therapeutic duplication, and engage caregivers in deprescribing conversations. 

Avera Medical Minute: Family shares their experience with hospice care Dakota News Now, Sioux Falls, SD; by Dakota News Now staff; 6/30/25 Hospice care is more than just medical support. At the Dougherty Hospice House, it can be considered a home away from home, where staff aim to offer patients and their families the assistance and comfort they need during this difficult time. In this Avera Medical Minute, one Sioux Falls family shares how, thanks to the hospice team, they were able to focus on spending time with their loved one. Craig Lloyd was known as a development leader in the Sioux Falls community, building homes and more throughout the city. “He had a big heart, so he just kept trying to improve things, his thought was always ‘God put me on this Earth to make it better,’” said Craig’s wife, Pat Lloyd. ... Craig was also in Florida at the time when he needed hospice care and Pat credits the work of Avera and the hospice team in making a smooth transition for Craig from there to home in Sioux Falls and then to Dougherty Hospice House.

Translating suffering through sculptureAAHPM Quarterly; by Ronit Elk; 6/27/25... I began to sculpt with clay at 15, and it was when the clay was in my hands that I became truly at one with what I was creating. I translated the untold suffering I had witnessed reflected in the eyes of the African women, together with their resilience and “can’t do otherwise” attitude, into the sculptures. I didn’t plan these, they literally emerged. In some of my sculptures the pain in the eyes of the women is so clear that people who see them often look away. In this sculpture I hope you can see reflected both the suffering of the African women and their strength and resilience to take care of and provide for their families and communities.Publisher's note: This brief article is a heartfelt expression through the arts.

Grief literacy’s growing impact on hospice bereavement care models Hospice News; by Holly Vossel; 6/27/25 Evolving trends related to grief literacy have trickled into the innovative bereavement approaches that hospice providers employ amid rising demand for family support. Hospices have fine-tuned how they measure quality and shape services within their bereavement programs as more is learned about the diverse ways people both understand and experience grief. Even the term “grief literacy” has been gaining ground in recent years, according to Sarah Saltee, executive director of Colorado-based 3Hopeful Hearts (3HH). The term generally refers to the ability to understand and recognize that grief experiences span beyond a person’s death and can apply to any significant loss of health, relationships, goals, self-identity or safety, Saltee stated.

How Empath Health integrates end-of-life care into PACEHospice News; by Jim Parker; 6/26/25Under the Programs for All-Inclusive Care of the Elderly (PACE) model, patients generally do not transition to the Medicare Hospice Benefit as they near death. Consequently, Empath Health has taken pains to ensure quality end-of-life care is integrated into its program. Empath considers these services to be a key component of its “Full Life Care” model, that seeks to longitudinally support patients over the course of their serious or terminal illness, according to Dr. Nick Joseph, senior vice president of Empath’s Complete Care Division. The organization provides end-of-life care in the home, with services that mirror its hospice program.

‘It takes a village’: The need to expand community-based pediatric palliative careHospice News; by Holly Vossel; 6/25/25Similar to adults, many seriously ill children prefer to die in the home versus in facility-based care settings. But several barriers are preventing greater access to goal-concordant, community-based pediatric palliative care delivery. The challenges in some ways mirror issues among adult populations such as insufficient clinical resources, caregiver burden or lagging family support in the home, as well as financial and logistical constraints. However, in the pediatric space, these obstacles are much more complex and nuanced to navigate, according to Allison Grady, pediatric oncology nurse practitioner and chair of the National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners’ (NAPNAP) Pediatric Palliative Care Special Interest Group.

Measuring what matters: The untapped power of resident experienceMcKnight's Long-Term Care News; by Charles de Vilmorin; 6/25/25In today’s senior living and long-term care environment, doing well financially depends on doing good — truly good. Communities that thrive are the ones that deliver on the promise of person-directed living, where residents are not passive care recipients but active participants in a life of dignity, purpose and connection. This isn’t just a moral imperative — it’s a strategic one. The industry has long recognized the importance of resident quality of life, but often fails to define or measure it with the same rigor applied to occupancy or staffing ratios. This is a missed opportunity. Resident experience remains one of the most powerful, untapped levers for operational improvement, competitive differentiation and financial growth. It’s time we treat it like the performance driver it is.Publisher's note: The balance of "mission and money" is equally true in hospice.

SCI Waymart inmates care for fellow inmates who are in hospice[PA] WVIA PBS; by Roger DuPuis, Lydia McFarlane; 6/20/25Today, WVIA News' Roger DuPuis and Lydia McFarlane talk about SCI Waymart's program that trains inmates to care for fellow inmates in hospice care. This is a transcript of their conversation as it aired on WVIA Radio.

Reflections after attending on an oncology hospitalist service for three yearsThe Hospitalist; by Nathaniel Parker; 6/24/25Unlike many inpatient services, the oncology hospitalist role often means managing pivotal moments in a patient’s cancer journey... Whether initiating dexamethasone for cord compression within minutes of arrival, or facilitating timely discharge to inpatient hospice, the immediacy of our role never feels routine. Each encounter reminds me that cancer doesn’t wait—and neither should we... What we’ve observed—both anecdotally and in our published work—is that transitions to inpatient hospice occur more often and earlier for patients on our service... When patients and families choose hospice, it happens in the context of trust, clarity, and alignment. And in a field where “doing more” often means intervention, this is one instance where doing more means connecting better.