Literature Review

Beyond the book: How stories help shape future physicians University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV); by Doug Criss; 9/22/26 Katie Houk builds a medical humanities collection that gives students at the Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine space to reflect, create, and better understand the people they will care for. ... “Medical humanities is the integration of the humanistic fields into medical training,” Houk says. A large part of the work involves narrative medicine: reading and discussing fictional or true stories to build empathy for patients, connect physicians with one another, and encourage reflection on the physician-patient relationship and the profession itself.

Finger Lakes Nurse Honor Guard gives late nurses a final tribute Democrat and Chronicle; by Mike Murphy; 9/21/26 As Ruth Benjamin was getting ready to retire after more than 50 years in nursing, two of her colleagues passed away. ... Nursing is a calling and a way of life, Benjamin said by way of explanation, and many like her and her colleague gave everything they had to their profession. ... After some research, Benjamin founded the Finger Lakes Nurse Honor Guard, which celebrates its third anniversary in October. The all-volunteer honor guard ensures that late nurses are recognized, in a similar way that honor guards pay tribute to late military or first responders. ... The service is free.Editor's Note: Though this article is behind a paywall, you can learn more about this inspirational Finger Lakes Nurse Honor Guard from their website.

Palliative care conversations can enhance support for patients with advanced cancer Oncology Nurse Advisor; by Megan Garlapow, PhD; 9/22/26 Palliative care and hospice address different points along the trajectory of serious illness, and clinicians can improve patient and family understanding by clearly distinguishing the 2 services and using direct, supportive language, according to a presentation at ONS Bridge 2026 by Meg Krasne, MD, MPH, clinical expert and instructor at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Harvard Medical School. ... She described palliative care as a specialized medical discipline centered on symptom management, coping, and medical decision-making. Rather than representing a transition away from active treatment, palliative care can function as an additional layer of support throughout the course of serious illness. 

Top ten tips palliative care clinicians should know when caring for seriously ill patients with stimulant use disordersJournal of Palliative Medicine; by Rebekka DePew, Nicole Dussault, Kyle Quirk, Erin Vipler, Josh Borris, Sandra DiScala, Teddy Scheel, Katrina Nickels, Gregg Robbins-Welty, Janet Ho; 8/26Stimulant use disorder (StUD) is common in the hospice and palliative care (PC) setting, though guidance for clinicians remains limited. Stigma around stimulant use is widespread and can lead to impaired clinician/patient communication, poor symptom control, and lower quality of care. PC clinicians should be able to diagnose StUD, understand the potential pharmacologic and nonpharmacologic management options, engage with patients in a trauma-informed way, and refer to addiction medicine colleagues when appropriate. When utilizing opioids for pain management, PC clinicians should be aware of the impact of stimulant use on opioid risk and toxicity. In this article, a multidisciplinary group of PC, hospice, addiction medicine, psychiatry, ethics, and pharmacy clinicians presents ten practical tips for caring for seriously ill patients with current or prior StUD.

59% of health care workers say they will look for a new job in the next year, and employers guess 39% Physicians Practice; by Austin Littrell; 9/16/26 The 2026 Healthcare Workforce Barometer measures the gap between what practice leaders think their staff want, and what staff say they want. Fifty-nine percent of U.S. health care workers say they are likely to look for job openings, interview for or switch to a new role in the next year, according to the 2026 Healthcare Workforce Barometer released Wednesday by The Harris Poll. Employers surveyed alongside them estimated that 39% of their own staff would. Forty-two percent of employees said they are likely to look outside their organization; employers put it at 32%. ... Roughly 40% of the employee sample are physicians, nurses, nurse practitioners or physician assistants; approximately 60% work in other patient-facing roles.

Hospice families and Mercy patients navigate overlapping Allina strikes as health system reports 37 doctors crossed picket linesMedical Daily, Minneapolis, MN; by Elena Vega; 9/16/26Allina Health says only about half of the nearly 150 physicians represented by Doctors Council SEIU walked off the job when a four-day strike began Monday, Sept. 14, at Mercy Hospital's Coon Rapids campus and Unity campus in Fridley. Allina spokesperson Blois Olson told the Minnesota Reformer that 37 union doctors crossed the picket line and 40 were not scheduled to work this week. ... As of Wednesday, Sept. 16, MedicalDaily had not found a newer official count or a public response from the union. The physician strike is running alongside a separate seven-day walkout by roughly 60 Allina hospice nurses that began Friday, Sept. 11, and is scheduled to run through Thursday, Sept. 17.

Every nurse is an advocate ONS | Voice; by Brenda Van Sambeek; 9/15/26 ... Advocacy happens when we raise a safety concern, help a patient overcome barriers to treatment, mentor a new colleague, or suggest a better way to deliver care. Most nurses advocate regularly; we simply may not think of those actions as advocacy.Why Nurses Needs a Seat at the Table ...

Effective palliative care for hospice transitionsJAMA Internal Medicine; by May Hua, MD, MS, Miguel Cid, MPH, Claire Barshied, PhD, Rachel C. Shelton, ScD, MPH, Grace Hu, MPH, Natasha Stekl, MPH, Carrie Brill, BS5; Elise C. Carey, MD, and R. Sean Morrison, MD; 9/14/26 Question: What factors impact the ability of palliative care teams to affect hospice use for patients with metastatic cancer?Findings: In this qualitative study across 6 sites with interviews among 93 clinicians and patients, institutions with high and low performance in hospice use exhibited substantive differences in the relationship between palliative care and oncology teams. At high-performing sites, the relationship was characterized by mutual trust and respect, warmth and familiarity, and empathy for each other, while at low-performing sites, the relationship was characterized by a lack of trust and familiarity as well as negative regard for each other.Meaning: These findings suggest that the relationship between palliative care and oncology teams is a modifiable factor that could affect care delivery and patient outcomes.

The dark side of full patient autonomy Medscape; by Lisa O'Mary; 9/14/26 Paternalism is out. Shared decision-making is in. But some communication and ethics experts say medicine is veering far too much toward full patient autonomy. A new review in the journal Health Communication found that clear delivery, active listening, and empathy were associated with patient trust. Obvious? Probably. But here’s the twist: The authors also found that paternalistic styles didn’t always harm trust — and even aided shared decision-making in some situations, particularly in contexts such as emergency care, serious illness, and end-of-life decisions.

Nurse accused of ‘exorcism’ as nursing home resident’s 911 calls went unanswered for 34 minutes Yahoo!News; Olivia Richman; 9/12/26 A resident at a Pennsylvania nursing home called 911 at 2:53 a.m. and reported that a nurse was trying to kill people. Four calls and more than half an hour later, police finally reached the room. ... The grand jury report says the agency licensed practical nurse, Octavia Lasha Robinson, was standing over a hospice resident identified as E.B. when officers arrived on June 23, 2025. Robinson had her fingers pressed into the resident's mouth, while blood was visible on the resident's clothing and bedding and on items scattered around the room. The episode was described by witnesses as an attempt to drive demons from the resident. The report says Robinson repeatedly spoke about demonic possession as police took her into custody.