Literature Review

What is palliative medicine and why is it so misunderstood? MedPage Today's KevinMD.com; by Patricia M. Fogelman, DNP; 1/16/26 After years of leading palliative medicine departments, as a Fellow of the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine, I’ve had countless conversations that start the same way. A colleague in the hallway says, “Oh, palliative care—that’s so important. You all are so nice.” Or a hospital administrator tells me, “We wish we could give you more, but resources are tight right now.” Or my personal favorite: “Palliative care is great, but this patient isn’t ready for that yet.” Each time, I smile and nod, but inside I’m thinking: I used to say the same things before I came into palliative medicine, because once upon a time, I also had no idea what we actually do. 

Existential communication with patients and families: A qualitative exploration of multidisciplinary oncology clinicians’ experiencesAmerican Journal of Hospice & Palliative Medicine; by Megan Miller, William E. Rosa, Haley Buller, Meghan McDarby, Alix Youngblood, Betty R. Ferrell; 12/25Existential concerns are inherent in serious illness and at the end of life, yet communication to address such concerns can be challenging. Themes across clinicians’ experiences of existential communication with patients and families included existential questions, guilt/regret, fears about the future, grief, preparing for death, values and goals of care, spiritual concerns, and letting go. Meaningful experiences included bearing witness; providing emotional support and information; easing suffering; learning and growing; and the honor of accompanying patients and families through the end of life. Challenges included discomfort when talking about death; facing denial; being unable to “fix it”; resistance to palliative care among oncology team members, patients, and families; fear of saying the wrong thing; navigating conflicting values; responding to spiritual concerns; barriers to inclusive, high-quality care; and struggling with emotions.

Prevalence rate of depression in palliative and hospice care: A narrative reviewJournal of Social Work in End-of-Life & Palliative Care; by Reid M. JacobsDepression is a common but not universal experience among individuals receiving hospice and palliative care. Though much research exists on depression in this population, there is little consensus on the actual prevalence rate, with estimates varying drastically. This is due, in part, to non-standardized definitions of what constitutes depression, variance based on assessment methods and tools, and the presence of somatic symptoms that may be due to physical illness and not depression, thus distorting the prevalence rate in this population. Depression can cause significant negative consequences for individuals and those who care for them, robbing them of precious time, increasing suffering, and decreasing overall quality of life. This narrative review seeks to understand depression’s prevalence among people living with severe and life limiting illness based on the existing literature.

How honoring patient autonomy prevents medical trauma Medpage Today's KevinMD.com; by Sheryl J. Nicholson; 1/11/26 Holding my mother in my arms as she took her last breath changed the way I understand care. That moment ... was heartbreaking and transformative. Her unwavering faith and peaceful passing contrasted sharply with the confusion that followed when CPR began despite her do-not-resuscitate (DNR) order. I felt helpless. The experience became the catalyst for my commitment to advocacy and ethical clarity. It taught me that even well-intentioned interventions can violate patient autonomy and erode trust when systems fail to honor advance directives. ... Ethical implications: autonomy and systemic gaps ... Actionable steps for clinicians: ...

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. ...

Ready or not: Rapp at Home program is changing aging’s last chapter Rappahannock News, Washington, VA; by Daphne Hutchinson; 1/4/26 Huntly resident Gwen Bates is good at getting people together. So when Rapp at Home (RaH), the county’s “senior village,” learned of a new program designed to help older adults navigate and plan for later life, Bates volunteered to organize the multi-faceted effort in Rappahannock.  “She took the ball and ran with it,” RaH president Joyce Wenger says. Called Ready or Not (RON), the program was developed by Queen Anne’s at Home (QAH), a senior village located in Queen Anne’s County, Md. on the Eastern Shore of the Chesapeake Bay.

In their own words: Creating connections through narrative medicineJournal of Patient Experience; by Sneha Mantri, Lissa Kapust, Jillian Goober, David K Simon; 11/25People with Parkinson's disease (PwP) often report feeling unheard or hurried through clinical visits, without the opportunity to share their unique illness story. Simultaneously, clinicians report increasing dissatisfaction with efficiency pressures that disincentivize active listening and patient-centered communication. This research brief outlines a guided short-form journaling activity, the 55-word story, for PwP to share their stories in a format that can be received by busy clinicians. By the end of each cohort, nearly all (31/35 participants, 88.6%) reported an improved relationship with their neurologist, communication skills, clarity about goals and values, and/or increased community with other PwP. An online guided journaling activity was feasible, enjoyable, and successful at improving the well-being of PwP. This model can be used at other institutions or with other chronic illnesses.

Early palliative care interventions linked with reduced mortality in patients with advanced NSCLC undergoing ICI treatment Lung Cancers Today; by Cecilia Brown; 12/24/25 Early palliative care interventions were associated with reduced mortality and longer survival among patients with advanced non–small cell lung cancer who received immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs), according to a recent study. Researchers from the Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine and University Hospitals Seidman Cancer Center presented the study findings at the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC) and American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) 2025 North America Conference on Lung Cancer.

A dying wish: Man with terminal cancer travels to volunteer in all 50 states ABC-7 News, Bay Area, CA; by 4/6/25 When Doug Ruch was told he had just 12 to 18 months to live, he didn't choose to stay home. Instead, he hit the road - on a mission to help as many people as possible while he still can. "I thought to myself, I have two choices. I can sit at home and wait to die, or I can go out and live," he told ABC7 News. [Continue reading ...] Editor's note: For more, visit Doug's website, www.dyingtoserve.com.