Literature Review
All posts tagged with “Clinical News | Advanced Illness Management News.”
No time like the present: End-of-life simulation in the first semester of a 12-month accelerated baccalaureate nursing program
01/10/26 at 03:45 AMNo time like the present: End-of-life simulation in the first semester of a 12-month accelerated baccalaureate nursing programJournal of Hospice & Palliative Nursing; by Alexander T Wolf, Karen L Hunt, Maura D Penfield; 12/25Accelerated nursing programs face unique challenges in incorporating palliative care. This report describes a high-fidelity home hospice simulation developed for first-semester students in a 12-month accelerated baccalaureate nursing program in the northeastern United States. The simulation integrated foundational nursing skills with palliative care competencies. Thematic analysis of student reflections revealed 5 emerging themes: pain management, empathy, family involvement, communication, and knowledge and preparation. Despite challenges in creating a realistic home environment, the simulation provided valuable hands-on experience in palliative care, demonstrating the potential for early curricular integration of these crucial skills.
Google AI overviews put people at risk of harm with misleading health advice
01/08/26 at 03:00 AMGoogle AI overviews put people at risk of harm with misleading health advice The Guardian; by Andrew Gregory; 1/2/26 People are being put at risk of harm by false and misleading health information in Google’s artificial intelligence summaries, a Guardian investigation has found. The company has said its AI Overviews, which use generative AI to provide snapshots of essential information about a topic or question, are “helpful” and “reliable”. But some of the summaries, which appear at the top of search results, served up inaccurate health information and put people at risk of harm. ...
Physicians’ end-of-life choices: a surprising study
01/07/26 at 03:00 AMPhysicians’ 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. ...
Community-dwelling older adults with dementia more likely to be bedbound in final year of life
01/07/26 at 03:00 AMCommunity-dwelling older adults with dementia more likely to be bedbound in final year of life McKnights Long-Term Care News; by Foster Stubbs; 1/2/26 Community-dwelling older adults with dementia were nearly five times more likely to be bedbound in the last year of their lives compared with those without dementia, according to a December study published in JAMA Network Open. ... “Our findings reflect the need for in-home support to older adults who are bedbound,” authors said.
Dying with dignity - personal perspective: The sacred ending we don’t talk about enough.
01/07/26 at 03:00 AMDying 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.
Ready or not: Rapp at Home program is changing aging’s last chapter
01/06/26 at 03:00 AMReady 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.
Malnutrition deaths are soaring in the US – especially among seniors
01/06/26 at 03:00 AMMalnutrition 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.
Is Alzheimer’s disease more common than previously thought?
01/05/26 at 03:00 AMIs Alzheimer’s disease more common than previously thought? Medscape; by Megan Brooks; 12/24/25 Alzheimer’s disease (AD) may be more common than previously thought in some demographic groups, according to the first population-based study to use a blood test to gauge AD-related neuropathological changes (ADNCs). ... A “major advance” of this study is the use of blood-based biomarkers as a way to generate more accurate, population-level estimates of AD pathology, Nicholas Ashton, PhD, senior director of the Banner Fluid Biomarker Program, Banner Sun Health Research Institute in Sun City, Arizona, told Medscape Medical News.
In their own words: Creating connections through narrative medicine
01/03/26 at 03:55 AMIn 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
12/30/25 at 03:00 AMEarly 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.
Assessing the impact of focused end-of-life training on resident physicians' comfort with care for the dying patient
12/27/25 at 03:20 AMThe phenomenon of end-of-life dreams and visions through the eyes of nurses
12/27/25 at 03:00 AMA dying wish: Man with terminal cancer travels to volunteer in all 50 states
12/24/25 at 02:00 AMA 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.
This holiday season, give the gift of conversation: Help residents and families talk about end-of-life care
12/23/25 at 03:00 AMThis holiday season, give the gift of conversation: Help residents and families talk about end-of-life care McKnights Senior Living; by Tom Koutsoumpas; 12/21/25 The holidays are a season of connection — when families gather, share stories and reflect on what truly matters most. For senior living communities and nursing homes, this time of togetherness presents an important opportunity to encourage meaningful, values-based conversations about end-of-life care. ... At the National Partnership for Healthcare and Hospice Innovation, our 5-Point Guide: Start a Conversation About Care Planning provides a simple and clear roadmap to help individuals and families start those discussions. For senior living and care leaders, those same five points can be transformed into community-based strategies that make advance care planning approachable and empowering.
Palliative pearls: Top 3 clinical case studies and reviews in 2025 from Enclara Pharmacia
12/22/25 at 03:00 AMPalliative pearls: Top 3 clinical case studies and reviews in 2025 from Enclara Pharmacia Enclara Pharmacia; Press Release; 12/12/25 This year’s Palliative Pearls case studies explored a variety of topics, from basic prescribing decisions to exploring the full continuum of care. If there’s a theme to be found among the three most popular installments of 2025, it’s how much hospice prescribing and practice really differ from other areas of healthcare. ...
End-of-life care needs cultural humility and social justice
12/22/25 at 02:00 AMEnd-of-life care needs cultural humility and social justice BMJ; by Jamilla Akhter Hussain, Rekha Vijayshankar, and Mary Hodgson; 12/18/25 Death, dying, and grief are not medical events—they are profoundly social, relational, and shaped by the histories people carry into their final days. ... [A] key question is: how can end-of-life care services become more trustworthy? Too often, institutions respond with so-called cultural competency initiatives. ... What is needed is cultural humility and social justice. Cultural humility involves ongoing self-reflection and acknowledgement of bias at individual, organisational, and system levels. Palliative care must prioritise cultural humility and social justice: trust grows not through outreach alone but through shared creation of knowledge, meaning, and care—and at the end of life ...
‘Heart of cancer care’: Social workers can improve advance care planning documentation
12/22/25 at 01:00 AM‘Heart of cancer care’: Social workers can improve advance care planning documentation Healio; by Josh Friedman; 12/16/25 Empowering social workers to discuss advance care planning with older patients with cancer could improve documentation of goals, focus treatment decisions and reduce burdens on oncologists and the cancer care team. A pilot program at Penn Medicine Princeton Health showed embedding a social worker into routine oncology visits for patients aged 65 years and older doubled documentation in the electronic health record. Editor's Note: Read this result again, using social workers doubled documention in the EHR for patients 65 years and older, underscoring the clinical and ethical impact of relationship-centered conversations led by trained professionals.
25 years of progress: ELNEC and AACN transforming palliative nursing education
12/19/25 at 03:00 AM25 years of progress: ELNEC and AACN transforming palliative nursing education Journal of Hospice & Palliative Nursing - JHPN / HPNA; by Cassandra Godzik, PhD, APRN, CNE, Deborah Trautman, PhD, RN, FAAN, Robert Rosseter, MBA, MS, FAAN, Pamela Malloy, MN, RN, FPCN,Jennifer DiBenedetto, PhD, APRN, Polly Mazanec, PhD, AOCN, ACHPN, FPCN, FAAN; 12/25 In the year 2000, leaders with the American Association of Colleges of Nursing joined with Dr. Betty Ferrell and her colleagues at City of Hope to address gaps in how nurses are educated to care for patients at the end-of-life and their families. ... To date, more than 1.7 million nurses have been educated with the ELNEC curriculum, and more than 1200 undergraduate and 440 graduate schools of nursing offer ELNEC training in palliative end-of-life care. The remarkable academic-practice partnership at the heart of ELNEC has dramatically changed nursing care for patients with serious illnesses and their families in the United States and globally. ... Editor's Note: As ELNEC celebrates its 25th anniversary, we honor a leadership legacy that has transformed nursing education and elevated end-of-life care worldwide. What began as a visionary collaboration between AACN and Dr. Betty Ferrell at City of Hope has become a global standard—preparing nurses for clinical excellence, compassionate presence, and interdisciplinary care. With deep appreciation, we celebrate Dr. Betty Ferrell, ELNEC, AACN, City of Hope, and the leaders who continue to champion this vital work forward.
IAHPC photo contest: We have our winners!
12/19/25 at 03:00 AMIAHPC photo contest: We have our winners! International Association for Hospice & Palliative Care (IAHPC); 12/18/25 Our members submitted an incredible array of images that expressed moving moments, illustrated challenges, and showed the beauty of palliative care in their daily work. It required four rounds of judging by our five-member panel, plus a Zoom meeting at the end, to narrow the selection of 186 photos sent in and settle on the winners. [View]
The results are in: Palliative care professionals share how they’re doing in 2025
12/19/25 at 03:00 AMThe results are in: Palliative care professionals share how they’re doing in 2025Center to Advance Palliative Care - CAPC; by Rachael Heitner, MPH; 12/16/25 CAPC’s second annual Palliative Pulse survey offers insight on how palliative care professionals across the country are feeling this year and what they’re focused on—see how they responded. ... In this blog, we share four key findings from participants’ self-reports and take a closer look at the data behind each one. ...