Literature Review

Racial disparities in non-stigmatized supportive care medication use in pancreatic cancerJournal of Pain & Symptom Management; by Olga Monika Trejos Kweyete, Chardaé Whitner, David L. Deremer, Yi Guo, Jiang Bian, Lisa Scarton, Sherise C. Rogers, Diana J. Wilkie, Xiwei Lou, John M. Allen; 3/26Pancreatic cancer (PC) is associated with a high symptom burden that contributes to reduced health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and adverse clinical outcomes. This study examined racial and ethnic differences in the use of non-stigmatized SCMs [supportive care medications] during end-of-life care among patients with PC. SCM use was defined as at least one outpatient prescription claim for antiemetics, appetite stimulants, cognitive aids, headache aids, or sleep aids. Racial and ethnic disparities persist in the use of non-stigmatized SCMs among patients with PC at the end of life. These findings extend prior evidence on inequities in cancer symptom management and underscore the need for interventions that promote equitable access to supportive care medications across diverse populations.

Auricular acupuncture for symptom management in inpatient palliative careJournal of Hospice & Palliative Nursing; by Anup Bhushan, Dan Mazanec, Jessica Bullington, Justin Marsden, Jingwen Zhang, Kacie Bhushan, Patrick Coyne; 4/26Palliative care teams treat patients with intractable pain and debilitating symptoms on a daily basis [and] nurses play a significant role in the assessment and intervention of patients with chronic pain and ... symptoms ... Complementary therapy with acupuncture has proven to be helpful, but to date, there is little research examining the efficacy of auricular acupuncture in treating the acute-on-chronic symptoms associated with life-limiting illness in hospitalized patients. This ...  study of 101 participants examined auricular acupuncture’s impact on pain and symptom management, as well as pre- and post-intervention opioid utilization ... This study demonstrated statistical improvement in pain, nausea, dyspnea, and anxiety scores. Nurses and other providers trained in auricular acupuncture can provide a nonpharmacological intervention that improves pain and related symptoms for patients with serious illness.

Characteristics of United States Food and Drug Administration drug recalls involving opioid medications, 2002-2025Pharmacoepidemiology and Drug Safety; by Julio C Nunes, Gabriel P A Costa, Joao P De Aquino; 3/26We reviewed more than 20 years of recall data from the United States Food and Drug Administration and found 286 recalls involving seven commonly used opioids, affecting over 350 million tablets, capsules, patches, and injectable products. Nearly half of these recalls occurred because products failed basic quality checks, while others involved incorrect doses, contamination, mislabeling, or defective delivery systems. The most serious recalls, those carrying risk of serious injury or death, were concentrated among fentanyl, morphine, and hydromorphone. Many recall notices lacked important details, including the number of units affected, making it difficult to understand how these issues may impact patients. Our findings show that opioid recalls happen regularly and often reflect manufacturing problems that could influence treatment safety or effectiveness.

How "The Pitt" can prepare you for the end of lifeKatie Couric Media; by Maggie Parker; 3/20/26 If you're sensitive to seeing death on screen, you shouldn't watch The Pitt. Set in a major city's emergency room, on the hit medical procedural, death is inevitable, and frequent. ... The way end-of-life issues are addressed on the show was carefully thought out and intentionally diverse. ... Unfortunately, it's rare for the media to portray death and dying authentically, according to Dr. Underleider's analysis of more than 141,000 scripted TV episodes from 2010 to 2020. ... This season, The Pitt takes its quest to realistically depict death to another level, with the introduction of a terminal cancer patient, Roxie, who knows what's coming and doesn't want to go home to face it. We spoke to Dr. Ungerleider about her reaction to Roxie's final moments, her experience working with the creators, what they get right about end of life, and why it matters. ...Editor's Note: Pair this with our previous posts, "HBO’s ‘The Pitt’ inspires viewers to consider organ donation, end-of-life planning" and "How ‘The Pitt' gets death right."

About 1 in 15 older Emergency Department patients are prescribed high-risk medications Medscape; edited by Gargi Mukherjee; 2/13/26 Analysis of over 16 million emergency department (ED) encounters revealed that about 1 in 15 (6.5%) older adults received potentially inappropriate medications (PIMs) at discharge. Prescription rates declined with advancing age, from 8.3% among patients aged 65-74 years to 1.8% among those aged 95 years or older. Skeletal muscle relaxants and first-generation antihistamines were the most commonly prescribed high-risk medications.

Palliative care staff attitudes toward music therapy for hospitalized adult patientsAmerican Journal of Hospice & Palliative Medicine; by Katherine A. Carney, Rachel M. Wiste, Susanne M. Cutshall, Christina Wood, Rachel C. Gentes, Brianna E. Larsen, Nana A. Tiwaa, Amelia E. Tetlie, Regina M. Mackey; 12/25There is emerging evidence that music therapy (MT) is an effective tool within palliative care to manage patients’ complex needs. This performance improvement project aimed to assess palliative care staff members’ attitudes toward the current utilization of MT within the institution’s hospital-based interdisciplinary practices. Top reasons for MT referral were psychosocial support, pain and symptom management, and coping. The most common symptom-focused indications were anxiety, mood, and existential distress. In this single-institution performance improvement project, staff attitudes were highly favorable toward MT for palliative care patients. MT is utilized for a variety of reasons, can be highly effective for improving patients’ quality of life, and may also be of direct benefit to staff.

Reconnecting at the end: The healing power of nature in hospice and palliative care ehospice; by Dr. Owen Wiseman; 1/5/26 ... Humans are wired to feel better in nature. We feel calmer when we see the colour green or hear water flowing from a stream nearby. ... Evidence shows that simply viewing nature can reduce pain, anxiety, and stress. In one of the most-cited studies, patients recovering from surgery who had window views of nature used 21% fewer pain medications and shortened hospital stays. ... I’ve had a front-row seat to the power of nature in palliative care, both professionally and personally. ...Small Ways to Bring Nature In - Not every hospice or palliative care space has access to large gardens or forests. That said, nature can still find a way in:

Cannabis laws and opioid use among commercially insured patients with cancer diagnosesJAMA Health Forum; by Felipe Lozano-Rojas, Victoria Bethel, Sumedha Gupta, Shelby R. Steuart, W. David Bradford, Amanda J. Abraham; 10/25To date, 39 states and Washington, DC, have enacted medical cannabis laws (MCLs) providing cannabis availability for patients with qualifying conditions, including cancer, while 24 states and Washington, DC, have passed recreational cannabis laws (RCLs) legalizing adult-use cannabis. While opioids remain the recommended treatment for cancer pain, these patients may benefit from cannabis availability for adjuvant therapy. We found significant reductions in all measures of opioid prescription dispensing following MCD and RCD openings. These findings are consistent with prior research suggesting that cannabis may serve as a substitute for opioids in managing pain.

“I was horrified”: 34 surgeons and doctors recall their worst mistakes BoredPanda; by Justin Sandberg; 11/19/25 Someone asked “Medical professionals, what mistake have you made in your medical career that, because of the outcome, you've never forgotten?” and people shared their stories from fortunately comical to downright grim. ...#4.  I work in palliative care, ... I knew he wanted to be a DNR (do not resuscitate). I wrote it on my note. But I didn't re-fill out the hospital paperwork. The next day, I got to work to discover he'd been coded and was on a ventilator in the ICU. Instead of passing peacefully, his wife had to make the decision to turn off life support.  ...Editor's Note: Entry #20 comes from a hospice nurse describing a patient with severe bone pain started on morphine—then an out-of-town daughter arrived, shocked to see “Daddy on morphine.” What unfolded was realistic and tragic. This story highlights two timely essentials:

The emerging role of osteopathic manipulative medicine in enhancing quality of life for palliative and end-of-life patients: A narrative review Cureus; Ambrose Loc T Ngo, Linda Nguyen, Cynthia Shahbandeh, Jared Nichols; 9/26/25... This narrative review synthesizes current clinical evidence on the application of OMM in palliative and end-of-life care, focusing on its potential to manage multiple distressing symptoms, including pain, respiratory distress, fatigue, gastrointestinal issues, edema, and psychological stress. The review aims to provide an integrative understanding of [osteopathic manipulative medicine] OMM's role in symptom management, identify evidence gaps, and propose directions for future research.

Should doctors show more empathy?Pain News Network; by Carol Levy; 10/6/25So many of us have complained, rightly so, about doctors not listening to us. They often ignore our words... Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, a teaching hospital in Boston, has taken steps to incorporate empathy into the doctor-patient experience. The hospital’s patient intake forms have two questions designed to build empathy. The first is “How would you like to be addressed?”... The second question is “What is your main concern for this visit?"

Medicaid coverage policy variations for chronic pain and opioid use disorder treatmentJAMA Network Open; by Meredith C. B. Adams, Seth M. Eller, Cara McDonnell, Sarjona Sritharan, Rishika Chikoti, Amaar Alwani, Elaine L. Hill, Robert W. Hurley, ; 8/25Co-occurring chronic pain and opioid use disorder (OUD) are associated with a high disease burden for the patient, requiring comprehensive treatment approaches, yet Medicaid benefit structures for evidence-based therapies vary substantially across states. Our systematic economic evaluation reveals both promising developments and persistent challenges in Medicaid coverage for treatment of co-occurring OUD and chronic pain. Universal coverage of fundamental medications and basic interventional procedures provides a foundation for care, but varying implementation approaches create a complex landscape requiring further investigation.