Literature Review

The demoralization of America's doctors Straight Arrow News; by Jess Craig; 3/30/26 Key takeaways:

New program and book examine best practices around end-of-life care for people living with Alzheimer’s Disease and related dementias (ADRD) Hospice Foundation of America, Washington, DC; by Lisa Veglahn;3/25/26 Hospice Foundation of America (HFA) will present its 33rd annual Living with Grief® educational program, Best Practices in Hospice Care for Advanced Dementia, addressing optimal care for the fastest growing segment of the hospice population. The program will be held live via Zoom on April 14, 2026, from noon—2 pm ET. According to the National Institutes of Health, researchers estimate that 42% of Americans over the age of 55 will at some point develop a form of dementia, all of which are terminal illnesses. ... In addition to the upcoming program, HFA has published a new volume of scholarly and personal work, Alzheimer’s Disease and Dementia: A Guide for Hospice Clinicians, edited by Kenneth J. Doka and Amy S. Tucci. The book offers valuable insights and practical approaches to delivering compassionate, person-centered end-of-life care to individuals with dementia and their loved ones. Editor's Note: Hospice Foundation of America has long defined standards for hospice education, and once again leads at a pivotal moment as dementia impacts Baby Boomers' end-of-life care. From their early satellite broadcasts that convened clinicians nationwide to today’s expansive reach, HFA has consistently translated complexity into practical, practice-changing insight. This work challenges us not only to learn, but to lead—bringing greater clarity, skill, and compassion to those living with dementia and those who walk beside them.

The clinical dilemma of withholding futile treatment Medscape; by Brenda Sandburg; 3/27/26 During hospital rounds, Kenneth Covinsky, MD, MPH, a professor of medicine and clinician researcher in the Division of Geriatrics at the University of California San Francisco, sometimes meets families at a wrenching crossroads: a loved one with advanced dementia is no longer eating, slowly losing weight because they no longer are hungry. They ask the question almost every time — can’t something be done? ...

Oncology-embedded supportive care and end-of-life outcomes: a comparative study of hospice-eligible Muslim patients with cancer and non-cancer diagnoses Supportive Care in Cancer; by Manahil Imran, Basel Ghurm Alshehri, Muhammad Ali Akhtar, Raafey Imran, Umar Iqbal, Maryam Imran, Aaliyaan Iqbal, Ibrahim M. Imran, Ibrahim T. Malik, Tabindeh Jabeen Khalid, Mohsin Iqbal, Belal Mohammad Sharaf, and Imran Khalid; 3/24/26 ... Conclusions: An oncology-embedded supportive care model in a Muslim-majority setting was associated with earlier transitions to comfort-focused care and less aggressive end-of-life interventions among hospice-eligible cancer patients. The contrast with non-cancer patients highlights the importance of structured supportive care integration and demonstrates that models adapted to cultural and religious contexts can effectively support comfort-focused care.

Building excellence: The journey to American Heart Association Certification Journal of Hospice & Palliative Nursing; by Fahey, Donna M. MSN, MFA, RN, AHN-BC, CHPN, CNL; 3/24/26 Heart failure patients often arrive at hospice with advanced symptoms, variable care plans, and limited coordination across settings. To address this, Samaritan Healthcare and Hospice pursued the American Heart Association Palliative/Hospice–Heart Failure Certification. The initiative required a full system redesign focused on standardizing education, documentation, care coordination, and performance measurements. This article outlines the challenges encountered ... and describes the process used to achieve certification in October 2025. 

HMN 2026: How Nursing’s moral agency cannot be outsourced to AI Health Medicine Network; by George Demiris, PhD, Patricia Brennan, PhD. Oonjee Oh, MSN, and Sang Bin You, MSN; 3/24/26 ... Recommendations for health  systems: The article emphasizes that nurses must not be passive users of technology but active leaders in its design and implementation. To preserve the public’s trust, the authors offer several critical recommendations.

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.

Identifying key components of neuropalliative care fellowship using nominal group techniqueJournal of Pain & Symptom Management; by Sachi Y Gianchandani, Jocelyn M Jiao, Kwame O Adjepong, Yaowaree L Leavell, Jessica M Besbris, Neha M Kramer, Joel N Phillips, Paul M Vermilion; 2/26There is no standardized curriculum for neurology-focused palliative care training. An adapted nominal group technique (NGT) was used to collect and rank responses to 2 key questions: "In designing the ideal dedicated neuropalliative care clinician training experience, what core components should be included?" and "When a general palliative care fellowship has a neurologist in their program, how could the program/program director potentially tailor the year to their unique needs?" For both key questions, the top-ranked responses included: dedicated outpatient neuropalliative care experience, mentorship from faculty with expertise in neuropalliative care, and a core didactic curriculum that includes neurology-specific content. Additionally, appropriateness for certification in hospice and palliative medicine was identified as crucial.

Bayada offers scholarship program to address nursing shortage Williamsport Sun-Gazette; by Matthew Corter; 3/17/26 In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, many industries experienced a shrinking workforce, and one of those hardest hit by the trend was the healthcare field. ... One of the biggest gaps currently is in home health aides. ... To face the shortage head on, Bayada has recently increased investment in its workforce and career development, including a scholarship program called Advance Through Nursing, which helps home health aides overcome financial and educational barriers on their path to becoming licensed practical nurses (LPNs) and registered nurses (RNs).

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.

Antibiotics in hospice: Applying the four-quadrant approach to improve patient-centered care Oxford Academic | Clinical Infectious Diseases; by Patrick D. Crowley, Karen M. Meagher, Amelia K. Barwise; 3/5/26The use of antibiotics in the hospice setting is complicated by differing patient goals, elevated side effects, and limited information regarding effectiveness. Here, we describe a case and apply the four-quadrant approach (4QA). This includes analyzing the case through the lenses of (1) medical indications related to improving function and reducing symptoms; (2) patient preferences ...; (3) quality-of-life factors that include managing infectious symptoms versus antibiotic side effects; and (4) contextual features, which include antimicrobial resistance concerns and cost considerations. Antibiotics may be beneficial in some cases and should not be denied to patients enrolled in hospice care. More robust evidence-based information about outcomes is needed to inform discussions at the time of enrollment. Applying the 4QA to a case can help determine the best approach for each individual patient.