Literature Review

How nurses assess care goals to boost patient satisfaction informa; by Sara Heath; 1/21/26 Nurses at New Jersey's Valley Hospital boosted patient satisfaction by 14% by soliciting and understanding patient care goals. Krystal LaNeve, a nurse at Valley Hospital in Paramus, New Jersey, often finds herself talking a lot with her patients. ... [Dialogue is] key to patient-centered care but operationalizing that can be an uphill battle. Healthcare teams are strapped for time, and it can be difficult to discuss care preferences with patients ...  Editor's Note: While most of this article is behind a paywall, a similar article is posted on the ANA Nursing Resources Hub, "Ways Nurses Can Improve Patient Care."

A different kind of care: The compelling case for palliative care in advanced kidney disease docwirenews; by Keightley Amen; 1/20/26 Advanced kidney disease requires some of the most complex care in medicine due to medical management, comorbid conditions, symptom burden, patient and family psychosocial needs, difficult conversations, and advance care planning. Despite the significant coordination needed, care for this patient population is often more fragmented, with less access to supportive services, than for people with other chronic, life-limiting illnesses.

Racial and ethnic differences in early DNAR orders after in-hospital cardiac arrest Physician's Weekly; by Shanel Diviney-Brown; 1/16/26 In a comprehensive national cohort study published in JAMA Network Open, researchers examined how race and ethnicity relate to the timing of Do Not Attempt Resuscitation (DNAR) orders among adults experiencing in-hospital cardiac arrest. The findings highlight emerging inequities in end-of-life decision patterns that may inform clinical practice and shared decision-making in critical care settings.

Increased criminal and civil enforcement by DOJ for skin substitutes in wound care JD Supra; by Tanisha Palvia, Jenn Sugar, Moore & Van Allen PLLC; 1/15/26 The Department of Justice recently announced, “[i]n the first [criminal] prosecution of its kind,” that husband and wife owners of wound graft companies were sentenced to 14.5 and 15 years imprisonment respectively for causing over $1.2 billion in false claims to be submitted to Medicare Part B and other federal health care programs for medically unnecessary wound grafts. ... The massive scheme had medically untrained sales representatives find elderly Medicare beneficiaries, often in hospice care, with any kind of wound.

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. ...

Malnutrition deaths are soaring in the US – especially among seniors Independent; by Brendan Rascius; 1/5/26 Malnutrition deaths are soaring in the United States — particularly among seniors — and the reasons are unclear, according to a new report. In roughly the last 10 years, deaths linked to malnutrition have skyrocketed by a factor of six, making it the fastest-growing killer in the country, The Washington Post reported, citing data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 

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.