Literature Review

Docs see smaller checks as Congress weighs options on Medicare cutModern Healthcare, by Michael Mcauliff; 1/30/24If anyone were to ask members of Congress if doctors should be contending with Medicare pay cuts after a pandemic and a period of extraordinary inflation, and amid a chronic physician shortage, nearly all would say no.Subscription required for full access

Effectiveness of an Advance Care Planning intervention in adults receiving dialysis and their families: A cluster randomized clinical trialJAMA Network, by Mi-Kyung Song, PhD, RN; Amita Manatunga, PhD; Laura Plantinga, PhD; 1/29/24In this randomized clinical trial, the [Advanced Care Planning] ACP intervention implemented by health care workers at dialysis centers improved preparation for EOL decision-making but showed mixed effectiveness on bereavement outcomes. The ACP intervention implemented in dialysis centers may be an effective strategy to the dyad preparation for end-of-life care as opposed to the current focus on advance directives.

Ethical issues in pain and palliationCurr Opin Anaesthesiol, by Marco Cascella, Alessandro Laudani, Giuliana Scarpati, Ornella Piazza; 1/30/24Summary: Palliative care in the ICU should involve a multidisciplinary team, to mitigate patients suffering and futility. Providing spiritual support in the ICU is an important aspect of holistic patient care too. Increasingly sophisticated tools for diagnosing and treating pain, as those involving artificial intelligence, might favour disparities in access, cause informed consent problems, and surely, they need prudence and reproducibility. Pain clinicians worldwide continue to face the ethical dilemma of prescribing opioids for patients with chronic noncancer pain. Balancing the need for effective pain relief with the risk of opioid misuse, addiction, and overdose is a very controversial task.

Introducing the expanded JAMA Internal Medicine Editorial FellowshipJAMA Intern Med, by Michael A. Incze, MD, MSEd; Kenneth E. Covinsky, MD, MPH; Sharon K. Inouye, MD, MPH; 1/29/24We are pleased to announce the launch of our new Editorial Fellowship program at JAMA Internal Medicine. Educating clinicians and future leaders in internal medicine is a core part of JAMA Internal Medicine’s mission, and the journal has had a robust Fellowship program for medical trainees since 2015. This year, we will grow our Fellowship program, inviting early-career faculty to apply for an immersive 1-year program that provides longitudinal mentorship and hands-on experience in learning how to work as a member of the editorial team at a leading, widely read, high-impact internal medicine journal.

Viewpoint: Care fragmentation, care continuity, and care coordination—How they differ and why it mattersJAMA Intern Med., by Lisa M. Kern, MD, MPH; Julie P. W. Bynum, MD, MPH; Harold Alan Pincus, MD; 1/29/24Health care in the US is characterized by fragmentation, with many patients seeing multiple physicians. Indeed, 35% of Medicare beneficiaries saw 5 or more physicians in 2019.1 Having multiple physicians may be appropriate, but it may also lead to medical errors, unnecessary visits, avoidable hospitalizations, and suboptimal care if all of the physicians do not have complete information about the patient and each other’s care plans.

Regular primary care nurse visits can improve home care outcomes, study findsMcKnights Home Care, by Adam Healy; 1/23/24A planned visit program involving primary healthcare nurse practitioners (PHCNPs) can reduce rates of hospitalization and emergency department use among home care patients, researchers found in a recent study published by the Journal of Evaluation in Clinical Practice.

Hospice Nurse Shares The unexplained experience with a patient that changed her view on death and dyingYour Tango, by Nia Tipton; 1/29/24Death is the most mysterious part of the cycle of life for many individuals. What happens when we die? Is it peaceful? Is it scary? The unknown of what becomes of our souls once our physical presence leaves this Earth can be a daunting thought, but a hospice nurse named Julie offered some insight that she was a firsthand witness to after an elderly patient she'd been looking after passed away.

Sojourns Scholar grant funds Doyon’s project to improve refugee palliative care Boise State News; 1/26/24Assistant Professor Katherine (Kate) Doyon was recently announced as one of the Cambia Health Foundation’s 2023 Sojourns Scholars. ... Doyon’s project will create an online curriculum for community health workers who work with seriously-ill resettled refugees in Idaho. The curriculum will integrate palliative care principles into their training. Grounding her work in cultural humility, Doyon’s goal is to collaboratively develop, assess and distribute the curriculum by partnering with resettled refugees, clinicians who care for refugees and resettlement agencies. 

Most US adults fail to recognize heart disease as leading killer of Americans, study findHCP Live, by Patrick Campbell; 1/24/24The American Heart Association's annual report on heart disease and stroke statistics for 2024 sheds new light on the impact and level of public education surrounding the impact of heart disease and stroke in the US and abroad.

'Rock bottom': San Antonio doctor addicted to opioids wrote fake prescriptions for 40,000 dosesSan Antonio Express-News, by Guillermo Contreras; 1/23/24

Timing of prognostic discussions in people with advanced cancer: a systematic reviewSupport Care Cancer, by Sharon H Nahm, Shalini Subramaniam, Martin R Stockler, Belinda E Kiely; 1/23/24Conclusions: Prognostic discussions with people with advanced cancer need to be individualised, and there are several key timepoints when doctors should attempt to initiate these conversations. These recommended timepoints can inform clinical trial design and communication training for doctors to help improve prognostic understanding.

Nurses declare intent to strike

MD Anderson's Dr. Eduardo Bruera: Educate hospice execs on palliative care's outcomes, cost savingsHospice News, by Audrie Martin; 1/22/24Dr. Eduardo Bruera is a true pioneer in the field of palliative care. ... In this interview, Palliative Care News sits down with Bruera to discuss the landscape of palliative care and what he sees for the future of the field.