Literature Review

Association Forum announces 2024 Woman of InfluenceForum; 12/11/23Association Forum is pleased to announce Wendy-Jo Toyama, MBA, CAE, FASAE, CEO of the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine (a client of the Association Management Center), as the 2024 recipient of the Woman of Influence Award.  This honor is awarded to trailblazers in the industry who have a proven track record of innovation, impact and paying it forward through coaching, mentoring and service to others.  Being named the 2024 Woman of Influence reflects Toyama’s ... dedication to the advancement of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI).

Best healthcare jobs in 2024: US newsBecker's Hospital Review, by Alexis Kayser; 1/9/24U.S. News & World Report has ranked the top 26 jobs in the healthcare industry, encompassing some of America's top-paying jobs with high growth potential. [Of note: #1 Nurse practitioner. #2 Physician assistant.] 

PeaceHealth nurses mull a strike amid wage, workload pressuresHospice News, by Holly Vossel; 1/9/24Nurses at PeaceHealth’s Sacred Heart Home Care Services have voted to authorize a strike, citing low wages and staffing strains.PeaceHealth operates two hospice locations in Oregon, along with six others in Alaska and Washington state.

Will we close the Medicare Advantage primary care gap in 2024?MedCity News, by Jim Bonnette; 1/8/24... Across all healthcare industry stakeholders, there is a pressing need to address this growing concern: MA members without primary care physicians (PCPs). This cohort, called the MA Primary Care Gap, may present the highest risk to health plans as MA becomes their fastest-growing segment . ... Furthermore, the MA Primary Care Gap is widening due to industry shortages of primary care providers and the rise of healthcare deserts in both rural areas and under-served urban areas. The absence of primary care physicians is particularly troublesome for Medicare Advantage patients with multiple chronic diseases and complex healthcare needs.

The prevalence of hospital diagnostic errorsBecker's Clinical Leadership, by Paige Twenter; 1/8/24Nearly a fourth of patients who are transferred to intensive care units or die in hospitals are misdiagnosed or have delayed diagnoses, according to research published Jan. 8 in JAMA. In a study of more than 2,400 patient records, researchers employed physician reviewers trained in error adjudications to inspect each EHR for the admission and events leading up to an ICU transfer or death across 90 hospitals.

Home health agencies grapple with 'acuity creep' as patient needs become more complexHome Health Care News, by Patrick Filbin; 1/5/24As the demand for home-based care continues to rise, so does the need for more intensive care plans as patients continue to be sicker and more complex. Home health agencies are feeling this “acuity creep,” and they’re adjusting. But at times, it’s hard to keep up. “When I’m talking about acuity creep, I’m thinking about how much need do the patients in our care models require?” Michael Johnson, president of home health and hospice at Bayada Home Health Care, said. “It’s not just medical needs, either — there’s a social need as well."

Most palliative care nurses feel unable to meet patient needsNursing Times, by Ella Devereaux; 1/4/24Junior health staff are having to make complex decisions about end-of-life care, due to a lack of out-of-hours palliative care nursing services, a new report has warned. The report, published by the Queen’s Nursing Institute and the Marie Curie Charity, has assessed how end-of-life care has changed over time and some of the issues that continue to impact the efficiency of services.

Death anxiety impairs self-esteem, quality of life in older adults with chronic diseaseMcKnights Long-Term Care News, by Kristen Fischer; 1/4/24No surprise here: A new study that shows anxiety about dying can affect self-esteem and quality of life among people with chronic diseases. The authors said they’d like to see more interventions to bolster self-esteem and lower death anxiety in middle-aged and older adults who have chronic diseases. The study was published on Tuesday in BMC Psychiatry. The negative consequences of chronic diseases like cancer, diabetes and cardiovascular disease (along with the unpredictability of death) makes middle-aged and elderly adults who have these diseases more vulnerable to death anxiety, the authors wrote. 

How to live: What the dying tell usPsychology Today, by Tasha Seiter; 1/2/24Subtitle: The top regrets of the dying and how we can use them to better our lives.Bronnie Ware, a hospice nurse, asked the dying what they regretted most. While it may have been too late for her patients, their answers can tell us about how we should be living while we still have the chance. Here are the top five regrets of the dying, according to her research (both qualitative and quantitative):

A not-so-silent battle: Tackling nurse burnout with innovative solutionsElectronic Health Reporter, by Brandy Sparkman-Beierle; 1/2/24... "The intersection of rising patient volumes and staffing challenges has led to a significant drop in nursing satisfaction rates. This overextension puts healthcare professionals at risk of burnout, impacting their physical and mental well-being." Brandy Sparkman-Beierle, chief clinical officer for Homecare Homebase identifies these needs:

Should patients be allowed to die from anorexia?DNYUZ; 1/3/24The doctors told Naomi that she could not leave the hospital. She was lying in a narrow bed at Denver Health Medical Center. Someone said something about a judge and a court order. Someone used the phrase “gravely disabled.” Naomi did not think she was gravely disabled. Still, she decided not to fight it. She could deny that she was mentally incompetent — but this would probably just be taken as proof of her mental incompetence. Of her lack of insight. She would, instead, “succumb to it.” [Read more of Naomi's story, followed by this examination of palliative care.]The field of palliative care was developed in the 1960s and ’70s, as a way to minister to dying cancer patients. Palliative care offered “comfort measures,” like symptom management and spiritual guidance, as opposed to curative treatment, for people who were in pain and would never get better. Later, the field expanded beyond oncology and end-of-life care — to reach patients with serious medical illnesses like heart disease, H.I.V. and AIDS, kidney failure, A.L.S. and dementia. Some people who receive palliative care are still fighting their diseases; in these cases, the treatment works to mitigate their suffering. [Read more of this discussion of emerging issue.]