Literature Review

Understanding is better than criticism The Pike County News Watchman; by Loren Hardin; 4/26/24 The first time I met Glenn was at his brother, Kenny’s, and sister-in-law, Tressie’s wedding anniversary party. ... Glenn walked into the party with a swagger, was wearing dark tinted sunglasses, grabbed his belt, pulled up his pants, stuck out his chest and sat down at the kitchen table. I thought, “Who is this guy wearing dark sunglasses on an overcast day?” To be honest, I thought, “This guy is kind of cocky acting”. Little did I know that in the not-too-distant future, I would become Glenn’s hospice social worker, nor did he? ... [Click on the title's link to read more of this insightful, inspirational story.]

Retired hospice worker now a hospice volunteer Sanford Health; by Jason Anschutz; 4/25/24"It's always been in my heart," says Nicolle Aukland of Fargo, ND. ... Aukland began her professional career as a medical social worker at MeritCare before the hospital merged with Sanford Health. She then transitioned into a similar role with Hospice of the Red River Valley. She would eventually leave the health care industry, but her passion for hospice never left her. ... Now in retirement, Aukland dedicates her free time to hospice patients as a companionship volunteer at two different organizations, including Sanford Hospice House in Fargo.Editor's Note: Do you encourage your retired employees to volunteer? Or perhaps retired employees from your community's other healthcare systems? They provide you with rich experience; you can provide them with meaningful volunteering. If so, be sure to orient them to the differences between their prior professional roles and the scope of practice for your organization's volunteer roles.

Employing telehealth to ease the hospice transition for kids with cancer mHelathIntelligence, by Anuja Vaidya; 4/23/24 ... In a study published in the Journal of Pain and Symptom Management last month, Children's Healthcare of Atlanta researchers detailed a telehealth-based intervention the hospital has employed to ease the transition to hospice for young cancer patients and their families. ... The intervention includes a series of coordinated telehealth visits during the first month of hospice enrollment for children or young adults, 29 or younger, with cancer. ... Hospice nurses participating in the pilot received a tablet equipped with mobile WiFi cellular service that they would take to the family's home, which enabled the [hospital/pediatric specialty] nurses and families to join the call. ... The most important finding of the study was that coordinated telehealth visits between the hospital, hospice, and the families during the first month of hospice enrollment were feasible and acceptable to all participants.

Viral moment: Hospice worker reunites with former mentor for touching bedside serenade FaithIt, by Kelsey Straeter; 4/23/24In Austinburg, Ohio, at the Austinburg Nursing & Rehab Center, a video capturing a deeply moving moment has gone viral, striking a chord with over half a million viewers. The footage shows hospice worker Joshua Woodard singing a heartfelt rendition of “How Great Thou Art” to his former mentor, Mary Redmond, just days before her peaceful passing. ... Decades ago, Mary Redmond was not only a cherished voice and piano teacher in her community but also a vibrant member of the local arts scene, starring in productions such as “Hello, Dolly!” and “The Music Man.” ... One of those lives was a young Joshua Woodard ... She became his first voice coach, leaving a lasting impression that endured through the years.

Hospice nurse plays instrumental role in patient’s joy Scottsdale Progress, by Lin Sue Flood; 4/20/24 You see it at every symphony performance. People so enraptured by the music — their eyes close and their fingers dance in the air. Stuart Brown is one of those people. But as illness began to limit his mobility, the 81-year-old Scottsdale man relinquished the thought of ever attending a live concert again. That’s when his Hospice of the Valley nurse secretly reached out to the Phoenix Symphony with a request to hold a small private concert in his Scottsdale home.

Terminally ill pediatric patients and the grieving therapist Psychotherapy.net, by Sara Loftin, LPC-S, RPT-S; 4/18/24 A pediatric clinician shares the rewards and challenges of working with terminally ill children and their families. When asked about the favorite aspect of my (dream) job, I could talk for hours. I feel passionate about working in a pediatric hospital setting with chronically ill children and their families. Each day brings new challenges. ... Experiencing the death of a child is the most painful part of my job, and it will never make sense to me although logically, I know this happens. On the other hand, I feel honored to be a small part of the most vulnerable time in a family’s life, and to walk alongside them in their journey of grief and loss. ... It has been impossible for me to not be deeply impacted working in this arena. [This article includes:]

[Unique Grief Program] Stillwater Hospice offers grief hikesTimes Union Online, Fort Wayne, IN; by Stillwater Hospice; 4/18/24 Time spent in nature has been associated with improved mental health and overall well-being. Walking and movement can be helpful in processing emotions that are a part of the grieving process. Grief hikes are designed to combine these benefits through mindful movement and immersion in nature. The Peggy F. Murphy Community Grief Center in collaboration with ACRES Land Trust will be hosting Grief Hikes on the third Friday every month from May through September. ... Each hike will be held at a different ACRES location, accessible within the Stillwater Hospice service area.

5 steps to cutting the red tape that adds to doctor burnout American Medical Association (AMA), by Sara Berge, MS; 4/16/24 ... Reducing burnout is essential to high-quality patient care and a sustainable health system. The AMA measures and responds to physician burnout, helping drive solutions and interventions. ... Dr. [Kevin] Hopkins identified the five steps below to get rid of regulatory make-work that interferes with patient care and contributes to physician burnout.

Health care system eats away at the doctor-patient relationship The Boston Globe; updated 4/17/24... The system economically rewards throughput (the number of patients seen per unit time) and procedures rather than the time needed to develop an open and communicative doctor-patient relationship. While a good physician might understand the tests and evaluations that are indicated by a presenting medical problem, the excellent clinician knows which tests and evaluations should not be done. This is primarily ascertained by delving into details of the patient’s physical, psychological, social, family, and economic history. This process, as James highlights, can lead to collaborative and more effective care. ...Editor's Note: This article highlights "Dr. Thea James’s remarkable work at Boston Medical Center in addressing structural inequity in medical care as a means of enhancing outcomes brings up an underlying structural problem across the entire medical care system (“Her health equity message being heard,” April 13, 2024.)

Shared decision-making between nephrologists, patients key to conservative kidney management Healio, by Mark E. Neumann; 4/15/24 ... Conservative kidney management: Patients who decline dialysis treatment do so for many reasons, Fahad Saeed, MB, BS, and colleagues wrote in a paper published in the American Journal of Nephrology. Patients told researchers that quality of life; fewer symptoms caused by dialysis; more personal time; avoiding the burden of dialysis, including for family and friends; witnessing a family member or friend on dialysis and wanting to have a peaceful death were reasons to select conservative kidney management.

Comment: Rule must change to allow dialysis as end-of-life care HeraldNet, by Matthew Rivara and Mackenzie Daniek; 4/13/24More than 1 in 7 American adults live with chronic kidney disease, making it one of the most common chronic disease conditions in the United States. ... Medicare will generally not reimburse health care providers for dialysis treatments if a patient has elected to enter hospice care, as dialysis treatments are considered by Medicare to be “curative” rather than “palliative” care. Because of this, most patients getting dialysis for ESRD must forego all dialysis treatment after entering a hospice program.

Physician coaching by professionally trained peers for burnout and well-being: A randomized clinical trial JAMA Network; by Stephanie B. Kiser, MD, MPH; J. David Sterns, MD, MPH; Po Ying Lai, MS; et al; 4/12/24Findings: In this randomized clinical trial of 138 physicians, participants who received 3 months of coaching by professionally trained physician peers had a statistically significant reduction in interpersonal disengagement and burnout, with improvement in professional fulfillment and work engagement.