Literature Review

Qualitative evaluation of an Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education-approved online hospice and palliative medicine fellowship program Oxford Academic | Academic Medicine - A Journal of the AAMC; by Katherine T Morrison, MD, Regina M Fink, PhD, APRN, CHPN, Kelly Arora, PhD, David Nowels, MD, Melissa C Palmer, JD, LCSW, ACHP-SW, APHSW-C, Tai Lockspeiser, MD, MHPE, Hareklia Brackett, APRN, MS, CNS, ACHPN , Darcy Campbell, AGNP-C, ACHPN, Maurice Scott, MD, Frank Amos Bailey, MD; July 2026 In 2020, the University of Colorado School of Medicine launched the Community Hospice and Palliative Medicine (CHPM) Fellowship, a part-time, innovative, online fellowship for midcareer physicians. The 3- to 4-year specialty training program, which includes completing a master of science in palliative care, was created to address the increasing need for palliative care physicians in communities with underdeveloped hospice and palliative medicine resources. This model enables fellows to remain in their communities and clinical practices while completing training leading to board certification. Guided by the Kirkpatrick Model, this program evaluation examined the fellows’ perceptions of the program’s effectiveness as a training model.

Addressing the emotional and psychologic toll of a cancer diagnosis Cancer Therapy Advisor; by Sabrina Martinez, MS and Jason L. Harris; 7/7/26 Patients with cancer experience distress not only from receiving a jarring diagnosis, but also a treatment regimen that can be difficult and debilitating, additional challenges to relationships that might be fraught already, significant financial stress, and the reality of death. Many also experience thoughts of fear of recurrence, stress, depression, anxiety, self-consciousness, and loneliness. The mental and emotional burden of cancer can be as difficult as enduring the disease itself. We spoke with oncologists and experts in psycho-oncology to get their perspectives on delivering “bad” news, working with loved ones and caregivers, resources for those involved in the patient’s cancer journey, and survivorship issues that should be addressed.

Hospitals confront nursing opposition to AI HFMA; by Rich Daly; 7/7/26 Health systems’ adoption of artificial intelligence to improve productivity increasingly is meeting opposition from their nursing staff. Nurse opposition to AI has become most visible in nurse strikes, where limits and guardrails on AI deployment for clinical and administrative uses have emerged. Sixty-five percent of hospitals reported using AI or predictive models integrated with their electronic health records (EHRs) in 2023, according to a recent study. But nurse distrust of the technology was seen in a 2024 National Nurses United survey of 2,300 registered nurses, which found that 60% of respondents did not trust their employers to prioritize patient safety when implementing AI.

As AI listens to patients, physicians face new questions Medscape; by Michael Waldholz; 6/22/26 Like much of modern life, medicine is rapidly being reshaped by AI. The fastest-growing — and potentially most consequential — application in healthcare is a technology known as “ambient intelligence.” ... According to a new report from the Peterson Health Technology’s AI Taskforce, “There is no technology in recent memory that has been adopted more enthusiastically by clinicians or has scaled up so uncharacteristically fast, absent a regulatory mandate.” But with the enthusiasm comes concern. The AI scribe field is unregulated, so an application’s accuracy isn’t being independently monitored. In one recent study, researchers reported scribes produced inaccuracies that the authors say will require “vigilance.” 

'A big win' | Georgia expands medical cannabis access with new law, boosting patient treatment options WMAZ-13 CBS; Macon, GA; by Maggie Fitzgerald; 7/3/26 Georgia’s medical cannabis program is expanding under the newly enacted Putting Georgia’s Patients First Act, a law that supporters say significantly broadens patient access while reshaping how medical cannabis is produced, distributed and dispensed across the state. The law, which took effect July 1, overhauls several core parts of Georgia’s medical cannabis framework. It eliminates the state’s previous 5% THC concentration cap and instead regulates products by the total amount of THC they contain and how much a registered patient can purchase over a given period.

Supporting mental health in end-of-life care – associate professor Sarah Yardley ehospice; by Dr. Sarah Yardley; 6/29/26 [Based on hospice observations described earlier in this article] ... I propose several ideas that support relationship centered care:

The impact of educational interventions on nursing students' attitudes towards end-of-life care: a cross-sectional study Nursing Open; by Mayra Veronese and Cristiana Rago; 6/28/26 Aim: To evaluate nursing students' attitudes towards end-of-life care and assess the impact of an elective educational course on shaping these attitudes. Implications for the Profession: Although nursing students exhibited generally positive attitudes towards end-of-life care, theoretical instruction alone proved insufficient to significantly enhance their preparedness for palliative care practice. These findings have direct implications for nursing education and clinical care quality: integrating comprehensive, experiential palliative care education throughout nursing curricula, ...

Clinical Artificial Intelligence as a novice nurse: Leadership responsibilities for safe implementationNurse Leader; by Asiah Ruffin; 5/26Clinical artificial intelligence (AI) technologies are increasingly integrated into health care environments, influencing clinical workflows, documentation, decision-making, and patient communication. While AI is often introduced as a technical innovation, its implementation presents significant leadership responsibilities related to safety, workforce readiness, and organizational oversight. This commentary proposes an analogy that conceptualizes clinical AI systems as novice nurses—entities that require structured orientation, supervision, feedback, and ongoing development rather than autonomous trust. Using this analogy, the article examines risks associated with premature reliance on AI, including workflow disruption, performance variability over time, and limited user understanding of system capabilities and limitations. The commentary also outlines practical leadership considerations, including investing in workforce education, collaborating with human factors experts, establishing governance processes, and engaging in policy advocacy.

Palliative care or hospice? Flipping the classroom for 1st year pre-clinical medical students with interactive online contentAmerican Journal of Hospice & Palliative Care; by Maxwell Vergo, Charles Wang, Lawrence Myers; 5/26Although palliative care competencies appear on USMLE [United States Medical Licensing Examination] examinations, pre-clinical curricula devote minimal time to end-of-life education. We created a 30-minute interactive online module in Articulate 360™ for first year students covering palliative care definitions, eligibility criteria, and care settings. In-class time was restructured to small group case discussions distinguishing primary palliative care, specialty palliative care, and hospice. Correct responses on a palliative care examination question improved from 57% (2020-2021, virtual lecture) to 66%, 67%, and 80% in subsequent years with the flipped intervention. The pre-work engaged students in learning (79-89% agreement), enabled focus on advanced topics during class (73-77% agreement), and was described as interactive and helpful in teacher evaluations.

Family caregivers' perspectives on challenges and support needs in hospital-based palliative care for persons living with dementia Baylor Medicine | Texas Medical Center Documents ; by Jung Kwak, Anita Chary, Sarah Stayer, Kwaku Duah Oppong, Sumin Yoon, Snehal Patel, and Elizabeth A Kvale; originally pub 11/17/25, reposted online 6/23/26Palliative care needs of hospitalized persons living with dementia (PLWD) and their family caregivers remain poorly understood. ... Thematic analysis of interviews revealed three themes: the value of palliative care in navigating end-of-life uncertainty in dementia, uncoordinated and reactive care during hospitalization, and lack of guidance for post-hospital transitions. While caregivers valued palliative care for emotional and decision-making support, findings underscore the need for earlier integration and improved coordination across hospital teams to better support families.

As a doctor and a daughter, finding gratitude amid loss on Father’s Day The Baltimore Sun, Baltimore, MD; by Jean Marbella; 6/21/26 As a physician who specializes in palliative care, Dr. Delia Chiaramonte helps patients, families and medical professionals deal with the stresses and demands that come with serious and often terminal illnesses. Then, her own father died. "I thought I knew what this experience would be like," she said. "It is much more nuanced." On this, her second Father's Day without her own father, Chiaramonte taps into both her lived and professional experiences to offer advice on a holiday for those feeling more bereft than celebratory.

The profound meaning and mystery of deathbed visions The Washington Post; by Caitlin Gibson; 6/19/26 As Shirley was dying, she kept seeing the grandmother she’d lost long ago.For as long as she can remember, Debbie Eichensehr has feared losing her mother, Shirley. Throughout her early childhood and well into her teen years, she tried to quell her anxiety with a bedtime ritual. Before going to sleep, she would kiss her mother’s cheek and recite the same words: