Literature Review

Achieving goal-concordant care with goals of care consultations in the Emergency Department American Journal of Hospice and Palliative Medicine; by Stacy Nilsen, PhD, RN, Diane Wintz, MD, Kelly Wright, MSN, MBA, RN, Debra Poeltler, PhD, MPH, RN, Sharp Mary Birch Hospital for Women and Newborns, San Diego, CA; 10/24/25 Introduction: Time constraints may be prohibitive to adequate goals of care (GOC) discussions and could delay critical decision making in urgent or emergent situations. ... Method: A retrospective record review was conducted for patients 65 and older at a single community hospital between January and December 2023. Included patients had at least one GOC documented discussion with a nursing team called Advanced Illness Management (AIM) and were admitted or placed in observation. ... 3377 patients met the inclusion criteria. ... Conclusions: There were positive findings in LOS, ICU, and cost with AIM consultation within 24 hours of presenting to the ED, when compared to waiting for a later consultation, supporting consideration of forward-placement of GOC discussion.

31 shocking confessions people made to their doctors and nurses on their deathbed BussFeed; by Hannah Marder; 11/12/25 Being on your deathbed puts everything into perspective, and sometimes, the dying have something big to get off their chests. No one knows this better than those who work with the dying, who bear witness to these disturbing confessions. ...Editor's Note: This BuzzFeed feature compiles unverified, anonymous accounts of “deathbed confessions” shared by clinicians online. While written for popular appeal, it touches a truth familiar to hospice and palliative professionals: dying patients often reveal deeply held truths when facing the end. We share it as a reminder that such moments call for clinical steadiness, ethical awareness, and the presence of board-certified chaplains—those uniquely trained to meet these revelations with compassion and care.

What is the best way for CNOs to tackle change management? healthleaders; by G Hatfield; 11/10/25 CNOs need to be equipped to support their nurses throughout times of change. With many constant changes happening in healthcare, from mergers and acquisitions, to leadership changes, to new technology implementation. All of these shifting variables have major impacts on the nursing workforce in any health system and can cause major disruptions in workflow and nurse wellbeing. CNOs must also keep in mind that big changes affect patients as well. The challenge for nurse leaders lies in handling that change with patience, confidence, and clear intentions. CNOs must design change management strategies that are inclusive, transparent, and responsive, while being as communicative as possible throughout the entire process.

The sliver of light after losing a child: Personal perspective - a child's loss can provide elusive and rare gifts. Psychology Today; by David R Patterson PhD, ABPP; by 11/10/25 I have often said that working with patients who are dying has brought an ironic, but transient, feeling of exhilaration to my life. Most care providers who work in hospice will explain to us that people who are aware of their impending mortality have a sense of being in the present that those of us who are not so close to that inevitability can only admire from a distance. ... I don’t know whether this resonates with other parents that have lost a child, but I can say that a very clear impact of my son’s loss has been to become acutely aware of my own mortality. ... After living with my son’s death for three years, I am only just beginning to grasp the lessons that his death is teaching me.

Bereavement support for oncology nurses caring for patients and families Journal of Hospice & Palliative Nursing; Tami Borneman, RN, MSN, CNS, FPCN, Paige Hayward, and Haley Buller, MSHSC; 10/28/25 Six themes emerged from the open-ended question that asked participants to share case studies describing a patient or family member that they had cared for who was experiencing grief and nurse interventions: (1) treatment failure/out of options, (2) unexpected death or recent loss, (3) impending death, (4) multiple or overlapping losses, (5) coping, and (6) anticipatory grief. 

Northwell celebrates newly endowed chairs and professorsBusinessWire.com, New Hyde Park, NY; Press Release; 11/3/25 Northwell Health announced recipients of nine endowments, including several inaugural chairs and professorships in specialty areas including biomedical sciences, nursing, geriatrics and palliative care, psychiatry research and cardiovascular and thoracic surgery. ... Generous donors gave more than $18 million this year in endowed gifts ... The inaugural recipients of newly endowed chairs and professorships [include]: ...

Bearing witness in home hospice: Ethical reflections on caring for Asian American patients American Journal of Hospice and Palliative Medicine; by Tuzhen Xu, PhD, APRN, FNP-C and Dan Song, PhD, RN This narrative aims to examine the ethical and cultural challenges faced by home hospice nurses when caring for Asian American patients in culturally diverse home-based environments. Drawing on personal experiences as a hospice nurse case manager and director, it explores how cultural practices such as avoiding direct discussions about death, prioritizing family-centered decision-making, and hesitating to use professional interpreters can conflict with hospice principles of patient autonomy and informed consent. 

VITAS and Miami Dade College partner to shape the next generation of compassionate nurses South Florida Hospital News and Healthcare Report; by Daniel Casciato; 11/1/25 For Miami Dade College (MDC) nursing students Khadijah Norelus and Shanel Cantave, the decision to pursue nursing came from deeply personal experiences. Shanel was inspired after nearly losing her father to a hemorrhagic stroke. Khadijah’s calling was born when she witnessed the care and compassion a hospice nurse gave her cousin in his final moments. Today, both women are VITAS Scholars—recipients of the Miami Dade College LPN Scholarship supported by hospice provider VITAS Healthcare—and represent the next generation of caregivers preparing to serve South Florida’s communities amid a national nursing shortage.

Essentia Health, Solvay staff reach contract deal Northern News Now, Duluth, MN; by Northern News Now staff; 10/30/25 Another agreement has been reached between Essentia and the Minnesota Nurses Association. On Wednesday [10/29], healthcare workers at the Solvay Hospice House finalized their first contract. As we reported, hundreds of MNA union members walked off the job in July. During the strike, care at the Solvay Hospice House was stopped. Solvay leaders made the decision to pause care saying the facility relies on Essentia Health’s nursing staff. Care started again at the end of July. On Wednesday [10/29], Essentia announced that a tentative three-year agreement has been reached with the Solvay team.

Four nurses in two weeks assaulted at Essentia Hospitals: Nurses say violence is a consequence of unsafe staffing and inaction Minnesota Nurses Association, Brainer, MN; Press Release; 10/28/25Nurses with the Minnesota Nurses Association (MNA) are once again outraged and deeply concerned after two more violent assaults on nurses at Essentia Health. A nurse at Essentia Health St. Joseph’s Medical Center in Brainerd was attacked by a patient last Thursday, followed by another assault at the same facility over the weekend. The latest incidents come less than two weeks after two nurses were injured at Essentia Health St. Mary’s Medical Center in Duluth. Four nurses assaulted in under two weeks reflects a dangerous pattern in Essentia facilities—one that nurses have been warning about for years.Editor's Note: Continue reading for preventable actions and red flags, "True safety comes from care-based prevention." These were hospital settings; the home care settings your staff and volunteers enter provide much higher risks with less control. Ask your direct care staff for examples of professional situations that were unsafe. Office-based leaders, you might be surprised. Examine your workplace violence policies, procedures, trainings, incident reporting, and follow-up.

New ACP paper provides ethical guidance amid controversies and changing practices in organ transplantation American College of Physicians (ACP), Philadelphia, PA; Press Release; 10/28/25 The American College of Physicians today issued a position paper on ethical considerations surrounding organ transplantation, saying the needs of the donor patient and family must be prioritized and the process should be trustworthy and transparent. “Ethical Issues in Organ Transplantation: A position paper from the American College of Physicians” was published in Annals of Internal Medicine.  It clarifies the duties and roles of care teams of prospective donor-patients, recipient-patients, and organ procurement teams, reaffirming that end-of-life decision making for prospective donor-patients must center on their best interests independent of organ donation potential. ... “This guidance is relevant to all involved in organ transplantation and particularly to internal medicine physicians who advise their patients about advance care planning and organ donation, caring for them prior to organ transplantation,” said Jason M. Goldman, MD, MACP, President, ACP. 

Updated opioid prescribing guidelines: Implications for nurse practitioners The Nurse Practitioner / Lippincott; by Rhond Winegar, PhD, DNP, APRN, FNP-BC, CCRN, CPN; Tara Martin, MSN, RN, CPN; Zhaoli Liu, PhD, FNP-C, CPPS; November 2025 issue. The opioid epidemic remains a significant public health challenge in the United States. Nurse practitioners (NPs) play a crucial role in addressing this crisis. This article discusses the implications for NPs of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 2022 updated clinical practice guideline on opioid prescribing, focusing on four key areas: 1) deciding whether to initiate opioids, 2) determining appropriate opioids and dosages, 3) determining treatment duration and follow-up, and 4) implementing risk assessment and mitigation strategies. Adhering to this guideline enables NPs to optimize opioid prescribing practices and deliver patient-centered care that aligns with public health priorities to combat the opioid crisis.