Literature Review

Bird flu: Human casesHospice & Palliative Care Today; 3/5/25Reports of human cases of the H5 bird flu are on the rise. Here are several posts.

Parting Stone celebrates serving 10,000 families with solidified remains service Business Insider, Santa Fe, NM; Press Release; 3/5/25Parting Stone, an innovative death care company transforming the way families memorialize loved ones, is proud to announce that it has served 10,000 families with its solidified remains service. … s more families choose cremation for a loved one or pet, they seek meaningful ways to navigate grief, Parting Stone has emerged as a trailblazer in reshaping the narrative around death and memorialization. By offering a new form of remains that resembles a collection of 40–80 smooth stones, the company is helping people find comfort and connection in the grieving process. Solidified remains are a complete alternative to conventional “ashes.” … The National Funeral Directors Association predicts that by 2030, nearly 80% of Americans will choose cremation over traditional burial. Editor’s note: Click on the title’s link to see a photo.

Nurse leaders can take the lead in promoting civility in the workplace Oncology Nurse Advisor; by Susan Rux, PhD, DNP, RN, FACHE; 2/28/25 Civility, the act of respecting others, especially in situations where disagreement or disparity may arise, occurs by intentionally displaying kindness and empathy. These behaviors help people to understand differences as well as uphold common ground across all social contexts. A stable foundation, afforded through civil actions, serves as a catalyst in achieving environments that promote diversity, equity, and inclusivity — the underpinnings of a culture of belonging. Nurse leaders can play a key role in creating this culture. Contrary to civility, in the healthcare setting, acts of incivility lead to increased levels of staff disengagement and turnover. Researchers have noted that a civil nursing workplace provides a safeguard against numerous professional issues, including but not limited to increased turnover rates, burnout, job dissatisfaction, and stress.

Qualitative analysis through the lens of minority nurses American Nurse; by Sonya Moore, PhD, RN, CRNA; Carolyn Still, PhD, RN; and Siobhan Aaron, PhD, RN; 3/4/25 Many argue that experiences of discrimination, racism, and microaggression (intentional or unintentional) serve as key barriers to the recruitment and retention of diverse nurses. Iheduru-Anderson, who interviewed 30 Black nurses, noted that despite an increase in the number of Black nurses in the U.S. workforce over time, they remain significantly underrepresented in leadership and faculty positions. The study identified several themes that contribute to lack of advancement, including maintaining White comfort, distrust, lack of role models and representation, expectations about leadership roles, and the ineffectiveness of advanced degrees in securing advancement. 

6 symptoms of dying of lymphoma verywellhealth; by Julie Scott, MSN, ANP-BC, AOCNP, medically reviewed by Gagandeep Grar, MD; 2/28/25Recognizing the signs and symptoms that signal the coming of the end of life for people with lymphoma can help their loved ones prepare and provide the right care. The exact signs and symptoms differ from person to person. However, common symptoms of dying from lymphoma include extreme fatigue, breathing changes, and loss of appetite. 

19-year-old says home hospice is a gift, not doom and gloom Keloland Media Group, Sioux Fall, SD; by Tom Hanson; 2/27/25 ... Cheyenne may be 19, but she is wise beyond her years, especially when it comes to something doctors discovered when she was 11. “I have stage 4 Metastatic Osteosarcoma, which is bone cancer in my lungs and It hasn’t responded very well to treatment, so that’s so I’m on hospice, but not because, I’m not on hospice because its the end right now, I’m on hospice because just so I have that extra support,” she said. Cheyenne knows people often misunderstand what hospice is all about. “It’s like doom and gloom and it’s like the end, there’s nothing they can do and that’s just not the case, she said. She was able to go on her road trip because Sanford’s Home Hospice team, including Becky Jibben, helped plan the trip and organize support teams along the way if Cheyenne needed help.

Writing book, getting tatoos Cowboy State Daily, Casper, WY; by Dale Killingbeck; 3/1/25 One of many tattoos on her left forearm is a dandelion in seed stage ready to blow in the wind. Deanna Cotten calls it “the wish flower” because in Texas where she was born that is its name. And like a seed ready to fly, Cotten finds herself in her last days on Earth and understands existence here is temporal. She considers each dawn a blessing. ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, has already claimed a lot of ability from the 43-year-old Glenrock, Wyoming, wife and mother of four. ... With the help of a friend, she is completing a book she started writing for her business clients that has morphed into a book for people in similar circumstances who are facing some sort of crisis and end. ... In November, she entered hospice treatment at home where a team ... from Central Wyoming Hospice & Transitions cared for her and offered assistance to her family at their Glenrock home. 

Local veterans to be honored at pinning ceremonies Call & Times, East Providence, RI; by John Baker, Pawtucket Times; 2/26/25 It never gets old for Christine Miller. Whenever she places a commemorative pin on a Vietnam War veteran and sees their reaction to it, it warms her heart, sometimes even bringing her to tears. That’s one of the best parts of her job as Beacon Hospice Care Community Engagement Coordinator, which later filtered into her becoming the president of the Rhode Island Hospice Veterans Partnership, which she herself founded. Miller, a Pawtucket resident, announced recently that, with Vietnam War Veterans Day coming up on Saturday, March 29, she will conduct a few [pinning ceremonies] ... Editor's note: Access to the full article may be limited. Pair this with today's post, National Vietnam War Veterans Day, March 29, 2025. 

‘Global problem’: Numerous factors, biases contribute to overtreatment at end of life Healio; by Josh Friedman; 2/26/25 Nathan I. Cherny, MD, has worked all around the world. At every stop — from Australia to Israel, and Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in between — he has seen people with cancer receive overly aggressive treatment at the end of life. ... In a review published in ESMO Open, Cherny and a cohort of multinational colleagues highlighted numerous reasons why overtreatment occurs among patients approaching the end of life, ... They listed more than 20 contributing factors, including desire for control of the cancer, denial and anger, family pressure and hope preservation. The two factors that contribute most to overtreatment are optimism bias and the “counterphobic determination to treat,” which involves clinicians having a difficult time introducing the suggestion of palliative care revert to offering further treatments, Cherny said. ... Responsibility for decisions does not need to fall solely on oncologists, Cherny added. Palliative care physicians, social workers, chaplains and others can be part of a team to assist patients with their choices. ... The number of patients who are overtreated differs at each institution. “Each institution has its own culture of care,” Cherny said. Editor's note: This article puts forth significant insights for all palliative and hospice clinicians, interdisciplinary teams, and palliative/hospice executive leaders. Apply Cherny's to your referral sources: "Each institution has its own culture of care." Apply these findings to your own palliative and hospice services. 

5 tips to determine how tech can support your physicians American Medical Association (AMA); by Georgia Garvey; 2/25/25 ... Margaret Lozovatsky, MD, vice president of digital health innovations at the AMA, recently shared five important considerations—among them establishing a governance model and agreeing on shared priorities—in designing technology to support clinical practice. Dr. Lozovatsky’s presentation was part of a two-day AMA training event to help physicians eliminate unnecessary work and free up more time to focus on what matters most—patient care. ...

How OU Health's Professional Practice Model is defining nursing excellence Health Leaders; by G Hatfield; 2/24/25 This model enables [Oklahoma University] OU Health to elevate nursing education, practice, and outcomes, says this CNE. ... Stefanie Beavers, DNP, RN, NEA-BC, chief nurse executive at OU Health, and HealthLeaders Exchange  ... The Concept: A professional practice model, according to Beavers, is an evidence-based practice that aligns organizational values with a framework driven by research and outcomes. The goal is to elevate nursing excellence and patient outcomes, but also to solidify the identity of the organization's teams. The OU Health Nursing Professional Practice Model was developed based on the Joanne Duffy Quality Caring Model, so that the organization could take caring behaviors and integrate them into OU Health’s values.

Patients without family or health care proxies face overtreatment or limbo in hospitals WHYY - PBS; by Maiken Scott; 2/24/25 A program matches unrepresented patients with volunteers who can make care decisions for them during health care crises. ... [Intensive care physician David] Oxman says unrepresented patients are a small, but growing group. Some have outlived their family members, or are estranged from them. Maybe they’ve moved a lot, sometimes substance use or homelessness plays a role. The situation is especially complicated with patients who have dementia, or who can’t communicate their wishes for other reasons. ... Most states have provisions where medical guardians and medical decision makers can be appointed by a court, but that takes a long time. In the meantime, a search for relatives begins. David Sontag, director of ethics for Beth Israel Lahey Health in Massachusetts, ... created a matching program where health care professionals volunteer to represent patients, not within their own hospital systems because that could cross ethical boundaries, but at other hospitals. “This is an opportunity for us to help some of the most vulnerable members of our communities, those who have nobody to speak for them when they can no longer speak for themselves. And that allows us to respect their autonomy throughout their lives,” he said.

Improving knowledge, confidence, and skills in perinatal bereavement care through simulation in baccalaureate nursing studentsState Nurses Associations - Kansas State Nurses Association; by Shelby True, MSN, RN; Libby Rosen, PhD, RN, IBCLC; Ashley Seematter MSN, RN; Jeri Harvey & Karly Lauer, MSN, RN; 2/20/25Many baccalaureate nursing programs throughout the United States thread concepts of bereavement and end-of-life care throughout their curriculum. However, a standardized education program for nursing students that increases the knowledge, confidence level, and application of skills a nurse must possess when providing perinatal bereavement care is often absent from the curriculum (Sorce & Chamberlain, 2019).  Perinatal loss can have a profound impact on parents and their loved ones, leading to emotional, psychological, physical, and spiritual trauma that deeply affects the lives of those involved. The nursing care each parent receives at the time of the loss may be remembered for years to come and is crucial to determining the nature of the grieving process (Sorce & Chamberlain, 2019). ... To improve the knowledge, confidence, and skill level of nurses providing perinatal bereavement care, a role-play perinatal bereavement simulation was developed and implemented in two Midwestern universities’ baccalaureate nursing programs in the maternal/newborn courses. Editor's note: Having served our hospice's Pediatrics Team for four years, the grief of parents, grandparents, siblings affected me deeply. I remember vividly a young mom unable to physically leave her baby's body with the hospital's nurse. Gently, we held her baby together. Over the course of about 15 minutes, the mother gradually shifted the weight of holding her baby over to me, before the hardest task of her life--leaving the hospital without her child. (It was Christmas week. I bawled when I got home.) Visiting them at the funeral home and after in their home, I experienced horrible, disenfranchised comments and attitudes from others (especially a local preacher). Leaders: tune into your pediatric hospice and palliative team members. What specialized support and education do they need? And, we never know what personal stories of perinatal bereavement those around us continue to carry.