Literature Review

Ethics roundtable: Prescribing controlled substances in a terminally ill patient with suspected substance abuse disorder and opioid agreement violations American Journal of Hospice and Palliative Medicine; by Steven J Baumrucker, MD, FAAFP, FAAHPM, HMDC, Melissa Broome, MSN, APRN, FNP-C, ACHPN, Gregory T Carter, MD, Matt Stolick, Ph.D,  Scott P Boyles, MDiv, Gregg VandeKieft, MD, MA, Andrew Wampler, JD, Lindsay Wilson, DO, FAAFP, Carolyn George, PsyD, Matthew A Murphy, MD, and Saima Rashid, MD; January 2026 This ethics roundtable examines how clinicians should navigate prescribing controlled substances for a terminally ill patient with suspected substance use disorder and opioid agreement violations. Contributors explore the ethical tension between alleviating suffering and minimizing harm, questioning how opioid agreements apply in end-of-life care and emphasizing individualized, compassionate decision-making grounded in dignity, trust, and proportional risk.

Nurse Honor Guard provides final salute to health care heroes Valley News Live; by Meredith Anderson; 1/16/26 Honor guard ceremonies, which are traditionally reserved for funerals held for military veterans, police officers and firefighters, are becoming more common for another group of frontline workers: nurses. The Georgia Nurse Honor Guard provides tributes to nurses who have died or are in hospice care, offering families a formal recognition of their loved one’s service to the community.

New voices, shared vision: How emerging research scholars are supporting HPNA's research prioritiesJournal of Hospice & Palliative Nursing; by Jyotsana Parajuli, Kristin Levoy, Avery C Bechthold, Lyndsay Degroot, C Robert Bennett, Shena Gazaway, Heather Coats; 12/25Evidence-based practice is critical to providing high-quality hospice and palliative nursing care. Professional organizations, such as the Hospice and Palliative Nurses Association (HPNA), play a critical role in shaping the future of the hospice and palliative nursing field by identifying gaps in the science and fostering collaborative research efforts to inform evidence-based practices. One such driver is the tri-annual HPNA Research Agenda, which outlines key research priorities in hospice and palliative nursing, ultimately aiming to accelerate translation of research into practice and practice improvements. In this article, 6 emerging research scholars in the field and present and former co-chairs of the HPNA Emerging Research Scholar Special Interest Group reflect on the experiences that led them to pursue research careers in hospice and palliative nursing. Through a process of collective self-assessment, these scholars articulated their shared progress toward addressing the research priorities outlined in the 2023-2026 HPNA Research Agenda as a means of generating insights to direct future research efforts in the field.

Retirement for Beth Dorsk: Her day is her own Jewish News; by Terri Denison; 1/15/26 A Virginia Beach native, Beth Koonan Dorsk retired as a hospice nurse in 2025.  She agreed to share with Jewish News some of her reasons for retiring and how it’s working out.

15K Nurses strike, disrupting care at 5 NYC hospitals Patch, New York City, NY; by Miranda Levingston; 1/12/26 Five private hospitals are without nearly 15,000 nurses, who are striking for higher wages and health care benefits, starting Monday. According to the New York State Nurses Association, the contract for the union expired on Dec. 31, and hospitals had until Jan. 12 to reach an agreement with the union. The nurse union said that, in addition to higher wages and health care benefits, the union is striking for improved pension plans and protection from workplace violence, highlighting the recent active shooter situation at Mount Sinai on East 100th Street in November.

Top 10 leadership pivots for 2026 Forbes; by Julie Kratz; 1/4/26 ... “Psychological safety is the most powerful differentiator in building high-performing teams. Those who report feeling psychologically safe are 31% more likely than those who don’t to be a high performer,” as stated in a recent Wiley Workplace Intelligence study of high performing teams. When cultural factors like psychological safety are linked to performance, leaders pay attention. Consider these leadership pivots heading into 2026:

New AMA survey spotlights top priorities, challenges in 2026 HCN - HealthCare News, Chicago, IL; by HCN Staff; 1/9/26 Physician organizations are preparing for a dynamic state legislative landscape this year with health policy changes poised to reshape coverage, oversight, care delivery, and public health across the health system, according to a new survey released by the American Medical Assoc. (AMA). The AMA’s survey of 64 medical societies, including all 50 state medical societies and the District of Columbia, spotlights the leading healthcare priorities and challenges set to define state-level legislative action in 2026. Top issues include scope of practice, Medicaid policy pressures, and physician workforce challenges.

Senior nursing students encounter end-of-life experiences Bioengineer.org; 1/11/26 In a groundbreaking study that sheds light on the emotional and psychological landscape of nursing education, researchers have delved into the first encounters of senior nursing students with death and dying. This critical period in their education not only highlights their academic preparation but also illuminates the personal and ethical dimensions of caring for patients at the end of life. Such experiences are pivotal as they mold the future practices and attitudes of these budding healthcare professionals. 

“Can We Talk?” A community-based training to improve serious illness communication Home Healthcare Now; by Ashley Kaminski Petkis, DNP, APRN, AGACNP-BC and Eric Hackenson, DPT; Jan/Feb 2026 Serious illness conversations (SICs) are often delayed or avoided in community-based healthcare due to clinician discomfort and lack of training. Given that many patients wish to die at home, yet often do not, there is a need for structured communication training in home care and hospice settings to ensure the care we provide aligns with patient and family preferences. ...  By embedding SIC training within a community-based organization, this work demonstrated how modest interventions can catalyze a change in practice, reinforcing the idea that SICs are a standard of quality care rather than an optional enhancement.

Dying with dignity - personal perspective: The sacred ending we don’t talk about enough. Psychology Today; by Cynthia Chen-Joea DO, MPH, FAAFP, DABOM; 12/24/25 In the U.S., we spend enormous amounts of energy keeping people alive, curing, fixing, and prolonging life at all costs. What we rarely talk about is how people die. And more importantly, how poorly our system supports them when the end is clearly approaching. ... [Background story about her dad's Parkinson's and eventual death] ... Then came our request for hospice. After an evaluation, we were told he didn’t “qualify” because he had gained some weight and his albumin levels were “too high.” An arbitrary checklist, based on labs values, prevented him from getting into hospice. [Keep reading] So we tried for palliative care instead. I made call after call, only to be bounced between departments, many unclear on the difference between hospice and palliative care, ... Even as a physician, I was stunned by how many barriers we encountered simply trying to do the most humane thing: to advocate for dignity, comfort, and respect at the end of my father’s life.

Physicians’ end-of-life choices: a surprising study Medpage Today's KevinMD.com; by M. Bennet Broner, PhD; 1/3/26 In July, I wrote about the importance of end-of-life planning (EOL). Shortly after, I read a study that examined physicians’ EOL plans with advanced cancer and Alzheimer’s disease (stage unspecified). The study encompassed nations with different forms of aid in dying, from the U.S., where a terminal coma is the only option most states allow, to Belgium, where physician-assisted dying (PAD) and euthanasia are available. Although the term suicide has been used for PAD, it is incorrect, as no one who chooses these options desires to die; they just want a choice in how and when they do so. ... One would assume, as the researchers did, that physicians would utilize all available medical technology. However, they found that end-of-life choices were nuanced decisions. ...