Literature Review

Penn Medicine Collaborative providing holistic care to cancer patients healthleaders; by Christopher Cheney; 3/10/26 Key Takeaways:

How America’s nursing shortage impacts health care Deseret News; by Lois M. Collins; 3/8/26 America has a nursing shortage, but where it is and who’s affected is not evenly distributed across the country. And even communities with an adequate or near-adequate supply must be vigilant to ensure that shortages don’t creep in. Key Points:

Chronic pain and unrecognized grief: epistemic barriers to personal and social recognition Medicine, Health Care and Philosophy; by Christopher Jude McCarroll, Ying-Tung Lin, Dominik Koesling, and Claudia Bozzaro; 3/29/26 What is it to grieve? What is the nature of grief? ... Importantly, a close examination of the phenomenology of chronic pain helps illuminate the ways in which it also involves the kind of losses that we can grieve over. The losses involved in experiences of chronic pain impact one’s practical identity in ways that can lead to grief. This chronic pain grief remains largely unrecognized, however. We outline four epistemic barriers to recognizing the grief involved in experiences of chronic pain. ...

Oncologist perspectives on timely hospice referral: A qualitative study American Journal of Hospice and Palliative Care; by Andrew Lynch, Andrea Altschuler, Joseph P Cosgrove, Hannah Whitehead, Corey Schwartz, Raymond Liu, Mina Chang; 3/7/26 Background: Late hospice referral rates are on the rise and are associated with negative outcomes at the end of life (EoL). Rates of late hospice referral vary drastically from oncologist to oncologist, and behavioral and psychological factors among individual oncologists have been identified as potential contributors to this variability. ...  Conclusions: Numerous factors independent of hospice eligibility were reported to influence hospice referral practices among oncologists. While some factors represent challenging cultural and social barriers to timely hospice referral, other system- and patient-specific barriers offer opportunities for potential interventions. 

Love hurts: Leadership, quality, and the future of hospice & palliative care | part one Teleios Collaborative Network (TCN Talks); podcast by Chris Comeaux with Dr. Alex Smith and Dr. Eric Widera; 3/4/26 TCNtalks / Anatomy of Leadership host Chris Comeaux and co-host Cordt Kassner join forces with Dr. Eric Widera and Dr. Alex Smith of the GeriPal Podcast, leaders in Palliative Care and Hospice innovation discuss emerging quality measures, data-driven hospice analytics, research challenges, and the leadership needed to guide healthcare organizations through change. For professionals working in healthcare leadership and serious illness care, the conversation offers valuable insight into the policies, research, and innovations shaping the future of Hospice and Palliative Medicine.

Love hurts: Leadership, quality, and the future of hospice & palliative care | part one Teleios Collaborative Network (TCN Talks); podcast by Chris Comeaux with Dr. Alex Smith and Dr. Eric Widera; 3/4/26 TCNtalks / Anatomy of Leadership host Chris Comeaux and co-host Cordt Kassner join forces with Dr. Eric Widera and Dr. Alex Smith of the GeriPal Podcast, leaders in Palliative Care and Hospice innovation discuss emerging quality measures, data-driven hospice analytics, research challenges, and the leadership needed to guide healthcare organizations through change. For professionals working in healthcare leadership and serious illness care, the conversation offers valuable insight into the policies, research, and innovations shaping the future of Hospice and Palliative Medicine.

Cambia Health Foundation releases comprehensive evaluation of Sojourns Scholar Leadership Program Business Wire, Portland, OR; Press Release; 3/3/26 Cambia Health Foundation today released the results of a comprehensive evaluation of its Sojourns Scholar Leadership Program, demonstrating the significant impact of a 10-year, $25 million investment in developing the next generation of palliative care leaders.  ... The program’s goals were measured against more than 175 sources, as well as 18 individual interviews, 5 focus groups and a comprehensive written survey completed by 117 individuals, including program participants and industry experts. Notable findings include:

Outpatient curricular content for hospice and palliative medicine trainees: A national survey Journal of Pain and Symptom Management; by Harry J Han, Angelika Golebiowska, Emily N Hansen, Michelle Park, Victoria I Sweetnam, Christian T Sinclair, Jonathan C Yeh, Mary K Buss; 3/2/26, online ahead of print Context: More health systems are establishing outpatient palliative care (PC) programs, increasing demand for ambulatory PC clinicians. ... Little is known about the outpatient-specific knowledge and skills PC trainees should acquire for competent outpatient practice. Conclusion: This national survey identified foundational outpatient-focused educational topics for hospice and pallitive medical (HPM) learners and suggests that outpatient curricula prioritize deliberate education on the unique application of core PC skills in outpatient settings. This prioritized list provides education leaders a roadmap to enhance existing curricula and informs the development of outpatient educational resources that can be shared across institutions.

Let's talk about robotics in nursingHealth Leaders; by G Hatfield; 3/2/26... CNOs who want to incorporate robotics into nursing workflows must focus on adapting care models and staffing to maintain quality and continuity. According to Wills, staffing models may shift towards stronger roles in pre-admission testing, nurse navigation, virtual check-ins, and ambulatory recovery support. "I think CNOs need to think beyond the walls of the hospital, and this means redesigning care models that emphasize preoperative education, care coordination, and postoperative discharge follow-ups," Wills said.Editor's Note: Is this a wave of the future? Typically, hospice organization's join healthcare's technology later rather than sooner. Values of "humanity," "empathy," and "compassion" take precedence. This article is posted for your awareness. What are potential settings? Uses? Pro's and con's? Implications for care with persons experiencing dementia? More questions abound.

Nurses in ‘key position’ to embed culturally and religiously sensitive end-of-life care Nursing In Practice; by Cahal McQuillan; 3/2/26 Many Muslim patients prioritise end-of-life care that aligns with their faith and culture, with family-based care often being expected to achieve a peaceful death, a new study reports. The review, which was published in BMJ Open in January, collected and analysed data from 18 papers that presented primary research on end-of-life care among Muslims living in the UK. Their findings highlighted challenges faced by healthcare professionals in this area, and put forward several meaningful steps to help providers, such as nurses, provide culturally and religiously sensitive palliative care. 

American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine announces 2026 annual Presidential Citation HonoreesPR Newswire; by American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine; 2/3/26The three honorees this year are the

What my sister Ellen taught me about dignity and the importance of being seen: A powerful reflection on person-centered care, bias, and the true meaning of human dignity in medicine Good Men Project; by Harvey Max Chochinov; 2/23/26 Several years before her death at the age of 55 years due to complications of cerebral palsy, my sister Ellen was again in hospital, this time in intensive care and on the brink of respiratory collapse.  ... I’ve spent my entire career as a psychiatrist working in palliative care. This has included leading a large program of research, examining most aspects of end-of-life experience for patients nearing death. Recently I have recast the Golden Rule for healthcare professionals, reminding them they must aspire to a higher standard. I have coined this The Platinum Rule: do unto others as they would want done unto themselves. This means that healthcare professionals can’t presume to know what is in the patient’s best interest based on what they themselves would want in those circumstances; in other words, they need to take the time to consider the patient’s goals, hopes and wishes.

Physicians slightly more likely to die at home or hospice Chronic Disease, Public Health; by Adrian Wong and Michaela Dowling; 2/23/26 1. In this cross-sectional study, physicians were slightly more likely to die at home or in hospice than both the general population and individuals in other professions.2. The largest absolute differences between physicians and other professional groups were observed when Alzheimer disease or stroke was the underlying cause of death.