Literature Review

10 best, worst states for nurses in 2026 Becker's Hospital Review; by Kelly Gooch; 4/28/26 ... To determine the best and worst states for nurses, the personal finance company evaluated all 50 states across two two dimensions: opportunity and competition, and work environment. Those dimensions were evaluated using 20 metrics, ranging from monthly average starting salary for nurses to average commute time. ... Here are the 10 best and worst states for nurses in 2026, per the ranking: Best: 1. Maine; 2. New Hampshire; 3. Washington; 4. Oregon; 5; Arizona; 6. West Virginia; 7. Minnesota; 8. Montana; 9. Connecticut; 10. Florida Worst: 50. Oklahoma; 49. North Dakota; 48. Alabama; 47. Mississippi; 46. South Dakota; 45. Louisiana; 44. Tennessee; 43. Arkansas; 42. Hawaii; 41. Virginia

Arizona wound graft cases LundPerson & Associates Hospice Consulting - Enforcement Briefing; by Judi Lund Person; 4/23/26Hospice Patient Targeting - Detailed Case Card

CMS educational video: Hospice levels of care and how to bill for service intensity add-on (SIA) payments CMSHHSgov YouTube and CMS MLN Connects Newsletter; posted on CMS's YouTube channel 4/17/26, posted in CMS MLN Connects Newsletter 4/23/26 This video is intended to educate hospices on a service opportunity called a service intensity add-on payment. Hospice agencies are paid a daily rate for each patient enrolled in hospice regardless of the number of services provided on a given day, including days when hospice provides no services. Hospice benefits allow hospices to bill an additional payment on an hourly basis for registered nurse and social worker visits during the last seven days of a patient’s life in addition to their standard daily reimbursement.

Cultivating interdisciplinary shared wisdom through a structured case conference American Journal of Hospice and Palliative Medicine; by Meredith A. MacMartin, MD MS, Amelia M. Cullinan, MD, and Catherine H. Saunders, PhD MPH; 4/8/26 Objectives: To develop and understand the impact of a structured, case-based, facilitated discussion of communication challenges on the function and wellbeing of an interdisciplinary specialty palliative care team. Conclusions: Embedding a weekly facilitated case discussion in the usual practice fostered a virtuous cycle of individual growth and team connectedness among interdisciplinary palliative care providers. Similar conferences could be implemented in other medical teams to teach practical wisdom and reduce burnout.

End-of-life guidelines [in the ICU] emphasize unified care American Association of Critical-Care Nurses, in "Clinical Voices April 2026"; 4/21/26 New guidelines for end of life (EOL) care in the ICU call for clearer communication with families, stronger support for decision making and coordinated teamwork across disciplines to align treatments with what patients can realistically achieve and reduce suffering. “Society of Critical Care Medicine Clinical Practice Guidelines on Adult End-of-Life Care in the ICU ,” in Critical Care Medicine, highlights the need for standardized processes, including identifying legal surrogates, using shared decision making tools and adopting protocolized withdrawal pathways. Additional priorities include early palliative care involvement, spiritual support and focused education to reduce conflict. Recommendations are summarized in three major areas:

Nearly 40% of physicians report high moral distress, which significantly increases burnout Healio; by Josh Friedman; 4/21/26 An AMA survey of more than 9,000 individuals showed nearly 40% of physicians report high levels of moral distress, yet most U.S. adults experience none at their occupation. Physicians who reported high levels of moral distress had a significantly higher likelihood of burnout symptoms and intent to leave the profession. “Physicians want to do what they believe is right for patients. That’s what we want all health care professionals to do, prioritize patient care,” Michael A. Tutty, PhD, MHA, group vice president of professional satisfaction and practice sustainability at AMA, told Healio. “Leaders need to think about how we can reduce or eliminate those ethical challenges that make it harder for physicians to provide high-quality patient care.”

Medical ethics unpacked: clinical ethics consultation in practice Consultant LIve; by Dominic Sisti, PhD and Aliza Narva, JD, BSN, MS; 4/20/26 In this episode of Medical Ethics Unpacked, Dominic Sisti, PhD, a bioethicist from Penn Medicine, speaks with Aliza Narva, JD, BSN, MSN, director of ethics at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, about the practical realities of clinical ethics consultation. ... Common consult themes include end-of-life decision-making, surrogate disputes, and clinician moral distress. She emphasizes that ethics consultants are often called when clinicians feel constrained or uncertain about next steps.

Woman indicted for mother's death turns tragedy into advocacy WJBF-6 ABC News, Augusta, GA; by Kim Vickers; 4/16/26 A woman is speaking out after she was indicted last year for the death of her mother. Rachel Waters gave her mother morphine provided by a hospice company, which authorities believed led to the woman’s death. Six months later, the charges were dropped. Now, Waters is turning her experience into something positive. ... Foster was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s and bone cancer and eventually her oncologist recommended home hospice care. The hospice company prescribed an end-of-life care kit for Waters to use when Foster needed it. End-of-life care kits contain several drugs specific to the patient’s needs, including liquid morphine. We spoke to several Hospice nurses who told us they are commonly prescribed to families and caregivers to administer to their loved one.

Engaging bereaved parent educators in pediatric end-of-life workshops: A trauma-informed onboardingJournal of Pain & Symptom Management; by Kayla Solstad, Dannell Shu, Kelly McManimon, Stacy Remke, Susan O'Conner-Von, Anne Woll, Joseph M Miller, Miriam C Shapiro, Johannah M Scheurer; 3/26Recognizing that pediatric end-of-life (EOL) scenarios occur infrequently and are distressing for trainees and other healthcare team members, our group created pediatric end-of-life care skills (PECS) simulation-based workshops to improve trainee competence for these skills. We  ... provide interprofessional workshops, including trainees from the pediatric residency program, graduate school of nursing, and graduate school of social work. Since creation of the workshops, the group and curricula have benefited immensely from including the expertise of bereaved parent educators (BPEs), who have experienced the death of their own infant or child and have been integral team members ... from workshop creation through facilitation. Research shows that families who have experienced the death of a child appreciate an interdisciplinary approach to their care and communication at the EOL. When parents of pediatric patients were asked about priorities in EOL care, they highlighted the importance of communication, emotional expression and support by staff, and ready access to multi-disciplinary staff.

Owner opened restaurant on day off to fulfill dying man's last wish to feed hospice nurses who cared for him People; by Erin Clack; 4/11/26 "To me, it means the world to see that kindness, that greatness spread," the dying man's brother said of the restaurant owner.  Tommy Milani didn't hesitate to step up and help when he received a request from a grieving family. Before his death, Frank Ozimek — who spent six weeks at Niagara Hospice in Lockport, N.Y., bonding with and being cared for by the dedicated staff there — asked his younger brother, Ken Ozimek, to make sure the nurses were treated to a meal on Easter Sunday, per local outlet WKBW.

What is a hospice nurse? Salary, role and career guide allnurses; by allnurses; 4/11/26 Learn about the role of a hospice nurse, including daily responsibilities, salary, and how to enter this compassionate field. [Go to the source article and scroll down to "Hospice Nurse Salary: How Much Do Hospice Nurses Make?]