Literature Review

Evasiveness in everyday hospital palliative care practice: a focused ethnography Journal of Clinical Nursing; by Carolien van Leussen, Evelien Kuip, Renske Kruizinga, Els van Wijngaarden; 9/2/26 Conclusion: This study shows how evasiveness in hospital-based palliative care is produced and sustained through biomedical routines, organizational pressures and professional and personal orientations. These factors make it difficult to realize the holistic ideals of palliative care in everyday practice. As a result, patients' fears, uncertainties and end-of-life wishes often remain insufficiently explored, whereas organizational routines shape what is considered appropriate and possible in clinical interactions.

Dementia associated with shorter survival, fewer days at home after hip fractureHealio; by Ashlee Moore; 9/2/26Key takeaways:

[United Kingdom] Majority of nurses have given end-of-life care in corridors The Daily Mail; by Shaun Wooller; 9/1/26 More than half of nurses have treated patients receiving end-of-life care in corridors or other makeshift spaces, a damning report reveals. Terminally ill patients are being condemned to 'undignified' deaths and poor quality care in NHS hospitals due to crippling staff shortages, the health workers warn. Meanwhile, overcrowding means some of the most vulnerable are left languishing on trollies where they must go to the toilet and even die in 'full glare of the public.' Nurses told researchers of widespread problems in care planning ... and in some cases patients being resuscitated against their wishes. The survey of 1,153 UK nurses and healthcare professionals by the charity Marie Curie and nursing website Nursing Standard found 55 per cent had treated patients in corridors or non-clinical areas, such as cupboards and offices.

Students get inside look at healthcare through PCIPs Pomona College, Claremont, CA; Press Release; 8/27/26 Pomona College students already know they want to be physicians. Others are undecided, but are considering a future in healthcare research, counseling, public policy or biotech. ... All of them want to change lives with their work. ... PCIP provides Pomona students with generous stipends for multiweek unpaid or low-paid internships that offer experiential learning and professional insights—career-building opportunities that might not be possible without funding support. Here are four students whose internships broadened their understanding of healthcare and provided hands-on career experience in cardiology, hospice care and mental health private practice.

Why Hospice Austin is training frontline staff on specialized dementia care KXAN Austin, TX; by Avery Travis; 8/26/26 A Central Texas hospice service received national recognition for investing in dementia-specific training and certification for frontline caregivers, as the impact of dementia grows in the United States. According to Hospice Austin and Austin Palliative Care, it recently became the only hospice organization in the country to be named to the National Council of Certified Dementia Practitioners' Memory Care Excellence Network. Diana Wagner, the Director of Education and Training at Hospice Austin and Austin Palliative Care, spoke to KXAN's Avery Travis and Will DuPree about the nuance needed to care for someone with dementia at the end of their life. ... Wagner said her team worked to certify more than 70% of their frontline staff in dementia care.

Soul injury in St. Augustine aims to help health workers with trauma The St. Augustine Record, St. Augustine, FL; by Lucia Viti; 8/24/26 Community Hospice & Palliative Care is bringing a specialized Soul Injury Workshop to St. Augustine, designed to help health-care workers address the emotional wounds that often accompany trauma, grief and caregiving. The workshop brings together child protection advocates, mental health providers, victim advocates, educators, domestic violence staff, social workers, first responders, nurses, nursing students and other medical professionals. [Additional access may be limited by a paywall.]Editor's Note: This community initiative exemplifies excellence for collaboration across the continuum of care. Every hospice patient, caregiver, and family arrives carrying their own history of trauma, grief, and caregiving — unhealed "soul injury," in Deborah Grassman's language of unmourned loss and unforgiven guilt. A hospice's most sacred season can reinforce those wounds through rushed, dismissive care, or begin to heal them through compassionate presence. Which door are you opening?

A retrospective mixed-methods analysis of falls among patients in a social model hospice residential care home American Journal of Hospice and Palliative Medicine; by Carol S. Weisse, PhD, Kelly Melekis, MSW, PhD, Lam Nguyen, Cort Collier, BS, and Nadia Kelley, MPH; 8/9/26 ... In the 24-hour period prior to patients’ falls, opiates were shown to be the most frequently administered medication followed by benzodiazepines, with higher rates of falls among patients who consumed both of these medications in combination. Most falls occurred in the bedroom or bathroom and were related to toileting needs. Results suggest that informal caregivers may benefit from additional training when supporting hospice patients’ toileting needs, especially when they have received opiates and benzodiazepines. Results illustrate caregivers’ efforts to balance fall risk with patients’ desire for autonomy as a central element of home hospice care. Editor's Note: What systems do you have in place for reporting, responding to, and reducing patient falls, especially in homes? At a minimum, you need to have these in place:

‘Pitt’ Crew: all 13 Emmy-nominated actors on bedside manners, blow-ups and fan theoriesTheWrap; by Steve Pond and TheWrap Staff; 8/21/26 TheWrap magazine: “It’s such a collective effort,” Noah Wyle says of making the hit HBO Max hospital drama. ... The 13 acting nominees, one shy of the record set by “Succession,” spoke to TheWrap about life in the Pittsburgh Trauma Medical Center. Noah Wyle, Dr. Michael “Robby” Rabinovitch, Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series: If Wyle’s Dr. Robby is a broken hero in the first season, he’s shattered in the second, mistreating his staff and acting so self-destructively that he seems borderline suicidal. His perpetually dark mood did not go unnoticed among “Pitt” fans. ... [Continue reading for descriptions by the actors about The Pitt's characters they portray: Dr. Frank Langdon, Dr. Jack Abbot, Dr. Dennis Whitaker, Dr. Melissa King, Dr. Cassie McKay, Charge Nurse Dana Evans, Dr. Baran Al-Hashimi, Louie Cloverfield, Duke Ekins, Roxie Hamler, Becca King, Ilana Miller.]Editor's Note: Use small excerpts in your staff meetings and clinical education to explore specific topics with engaging, memorable examples. Invite insights from attendees.

The phone call that taught me how to grieveMedscape; by Bishal Gyawali, MD, PhD; 8/3/26 Mike (name changed) was one of my favorite patients. We aren’t supposed to have favorites, but we are human. And sometimes you just have that unexplainable bond with someone. ... When I returned from my travels, I learned that Mike had passed away. It was heartbreaking for me. ... When I picked up the phone to call his wife, I had butterflies in my stomach. These calls never get easier. I asked: “Hello, is this Jess? I am Dr. Gyawali from the cancer center.” “Thank you for calling,” she responded, her voice cracking a little. I told her that I knew Mike had passed away. She recounted that day with me. ... She said, “You know, Mike could easily pay to get treated at one of the top cancer centers in the world. But he chose to get treated in Kingston because he liked you and your team here.” As I was getting ready to put the phone down, Jess said, “I’m sorry for your loss, too, Doctor. I know how much he meant to you. I’m happy you were his oncologist. Please take care of yourself, too.” I hung up the phone and cried. ... Immediately after that phone call, I sent a text to some of my trainees: “If your patient dies, always call their family. Always. No exception.”  Then I sat down to write this blog. 

How Andrew Bird wrote Louie’s farewell ballad for ‘The Pitt’: ‘What’s more fundamental than the fear of dying alone?’ Gold Derby; by Lyndsey Parker; 8/19/26... Andrew Bird wasn't even familiar with The Pitt when he was cold-called by the show's composer, Gavin Brivik, with an invitation to collaborate on a song for one of the series' most heartbreaking and gut-punching moments. [It was for] that scene, ... in which fan-favorite character Louie Cloverfield, the lovable alcoholic with a heart of gold, dies with only the Pittsburgh Trauma Medical Center staff by his side — the lyrics for "Need Someone" came quickly. There's a small but especially tearjerking detail when Emma grabs Louie's hand, right as Dr. Robby is telling them about how Louie had lost his eight-months-pregnant wife and their unborn child in a car accident years ago. Apparently hospitals leave a deceased patient's hand out from under the blanket so that a loved one at the bedside can hold it, but Louie only has the hospital staff, who've sort of become his honorary family, with him when dies. This goes perfectly with your lyric about how "you need someone who is gonna cry for you." ... Bird was partially inspired by the 2020 pandemic — not just society's shared post-COVID trauma, but the lack of appreciation of healthcare workers ...

Nurses, consider these documentaries Healthcare NOW Radio; by Zelda Meeker; 8/5/26 Tired of scrolling to find something to watch? We’ve got a list of excellent healthcare-related documentaries that will grab and keep your attention. Healthcare documentaries offer a window into the complexities of this world and show the daily struggles and triumphs of nurses, patients, and other healthcare providers. Over the past few years, several films have stood out for addressing critical and often controversial healthcare topics and offering insight into the realities of the healthcare system. Below are 12 such documentaries impossible for any nurse to ignore — films that are sure to stir emotions and provide perspectives on your career. ...

Compassus CMO: deliver on the hospice promise Hospice News; by Jim Parker; 8/18/26 A patient’s journey towards hospice often begins with a goals-of-care conversation, but those discussions must be timely and effective to truly guide the services a person receives at the end of life. Hospice News spoke with Dr. Kurt Merkelz, M.D., FAAHPM, chief medical officer for Compassus, about the value of these conversations, when they should happen and how clinicians should conduct them. Compassus, one of the nation’s largest hospice providers, is a portfolio company of the private equity firm Towerbrook Capital Partners and the health system Ascension Health.