Literature Review

Cancer facts & figures 2024American Cancer Society; 2024Cancer Facts & Figures 2024 is an educational companion for Cancer Statistics 2024, a scientific paper published in the American Cancer Society journal, CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians. These annual reports provide:

Odds for dementia nearly triple in the year after a strokeHealth Day, by Ernie Mundell; 2/1/24A person's odds for a dementia diagnosis nearly triple in the first year after a stroke, new research shows. This post-stroke spike in dementia risk does subside with time, but it never returns to pre-stroke levels, the same report found. "Our findings reinforce the importance of monitoring people with stroke for cognitive decline," said lead researcher Dr. Raed Joundi. 

Nurses' encounters with patients having end-of-life dreams and visions in an acute care setting - A cross-sectional survey studyJ Adv Nurse, by Alison Hession, Tim Luckett, David Currow, Michael Barbato; 1/31/24Results: Fifty-seven nurses participated from a workforce of 169 (34% response rate), of whom 35 (61%) reported they had encountered end-of-life dreams and visions. The nature of end-of-life dreams and visions encountered was similar to those reported in previous studies by patients and clinicians. Nurses generally held positive attitudes towards end-of-life dreams and visions but identified an unmet need for education and training on this aspect of end-of-life care.Editor's Note: This research was in Australia, yet has global applications. For U.S. leaders, call on your chaplains, many of whom are trained pastoral counselors to sensitively support and explore patient's "dreams and visions," in non-manipulative ways.

What the mental health crisis may be missing: Spirituality as a tool Forbes, by Nicole F. Roberts; 1/31/24 It is estimated that approximately one in four people globally will experience mental illness during their lives, with about one billion individuals facing mental health disorders at any given time ... [such as] anxiety, depression, loneliness or some other diagnosable illness. ... Despite most people believing in both science and a form of spirituality there are fundamental differences in how and why people seek the care they do, and how and why they adhere to recommended treatment plans as they do. And much of those decisions is based on beliefs.

Can artificial intelligence improve doctor-patient visits and reduce burnout?AAMC News, by Patrick Boyle; 1/30/24Physicians are testing tools that listen to conversations and create written notes, freeing them to focus on patients and easing documentation burdens. The technology is evolving to address limitations.

Effectiveness of an Advance Care Planning intervention in adults receiving dialysis and their families: A cluster randomized clinical trialJAMA Network, by Mi-Kyung Song, PhD, RN; Amita Manatunga, PhD; Laura Plantinga, PhD; 1/29/24In this randomized clinical trial, the [Advanced Care Planning] ACP intervention implemented by health care workers at dialysis centers improved preparation for EOL decision-making but showed mixed effectiveness on bereavement outcomes. The ACP intervention implemented in dialysis centers may be an effective strategy to the dyad preparation for end-of-life care as opposed to the current focus on advance directives.

Introducing the expanded JAMA Internal Medicine Editorial FellowshipJAMA Intern Med, by Michael A. Incze, MD, MSEd; Kenneth E. Covinsky, MD, MPH; Sharon K. Inouye, MD, MPH; 1/29/24We are pleased to announce the launch of our new Editorial Fellowship program at JAMA Internal Medicine. Educating clinicians and future leaders in internal medicine is a core part of JAMA Internal Medicine’s mission, and the journal has had a robust Fellowship program for medical trainees since 2015. This year, we will grow our Fellowship program, inviting early-career faculty to apply for an immersive 1-year program that provides longitudinal mentorship and hands-on experience in learning how to work as a member of the editorial team at a leading, widely read, high-impact internal medicine journal.

Ethical issues in pain and palliationCurr Opin Anaesthesiol, by Marco Cascella, Alessandro Laudani, Giuliana Scarpati, Ornella Piazza; 1/30/24Summary: Palliative care in the ICU should involve a multidisciplinary team, to mitigate patients suffering and futility. Providing spiritual support in the ICU is an important aspect of holistic patient care too. Increasingly sophisticated tools for diagnosing and treating pain, as those involving artificial intelligence, might favour disparities in access, cause informed consent problems, and surely, they need prudence and reproducibility. Pain clinicians worldwide continue to face the ethical dilemma of prescribing opioids for patients with chronic noncancer pain. Balancing the need for effective pain relief with the risk of opioid misuse, addiction, and overdose is a very controversial task.

Anorexia Nervosa: Evaluating disparities in places of death in the United States over 22 years using the CDC WONDER databaseCureus / NCBI, by Nirmal Patel, Rahul Tyagi, Deepanwita Biswas, Ayesha Birjees, Chetana Rajesh 6, Sadia Khan; posted via NCBI 1/30/24Conclusions:[This] study found that death in home and hospice was more common than in medical or hospital nursing facilities in all four analyzed groups. These findings highlight the critical need for significant advancements in end-of-life care, particularly in home and hospice settings.

Criteria for enrollment of patients with COPD in palliative care trials: A systematic reviewJ Pain Symptom Manage, by Natalia Smirnova, Allison V Lange, Amanda Glickman, Kristen Desanto, Cara L McDermott , Donald R Sullivan, David B Bekelman, Dio Kavalieratos; 1/25/24Context: Use of palliative care interventions in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) has increased in recent years and inclusion criteria used to identify patients with COPD appropriate for palliative care vary widely. We evaluated the inclusion criteria to identify ways to improve enrollment opportunities for patients with COPD.

Will scandal at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute cause big damage? Modern Healthcare, by Caroline Hudson; 1/29/24Allegations of data manipulation in Dana-Farber Cancer Institute's research has sparked intense scrutiny of a long-revered pillar in cancer treatment and put its once-sparkling reputation into question. ... Retaining Dana-Farber's long-term standing and preserving its bottom line will depend on how fast the institute moves to control the fallout from a scandal that has made national headlines, marketing and risk management experts said.

Sojourns Scholar grant funds Doyon’s project to improve refugee palliative care Boise State News; 1/26/24Assistant Professor Katherine (Kate) Doyon was recently announced as one of the Cambia Health Foundation’s 2023 Sojourns Scholars. ... Doyon’s project will create an online curriculum for community health workers who work with seriously-ill resettled refugees in Idaho. The curriculum will integrate palliative care principles into their training. Grounding her work in cultural humility, Doyon’s goal is to collaboratively develop, assess and distribute the curriculum by partnering with resettled refugees, clinicians who care for refugees and resettlement agencies. 

Most US adults fail to recognize heart disease as leading killer of Americans, study findHCP Live, by Patrick Campbell; 1/24/24The American Heart Association's annual report on heart disease and stroke statistics for 2024 sheds new light on the impact and level of public education surrounding the impact of heart disease and stroke in the US and abroad.