Literature Review

All posts tagged with “Clinical News | Social Work News.”



Special team at Norton Children's Hospital focused on giving the gift of life

04/23/25 at 03:00 AM

Special team at Norton Children's Hospital focused on giving the gift of life CBS WLKY-32, Louisville, KY; by Jennifer Baileys; 4/21/25 Caring for sick and dying children is a tough and heartbreaking job. One special group at Norton Children's Hospital is focused on helping these children and their families. ... "She's missing the left side of her heart," Kindra Edwards, patient mother, said. ... Edwards said there was one consistent source of strength and encouragement the Norton Pediatric Support Team. "They're always there. You know, coming in, checking on us when in our multiple stays at the hospital," Edwards said. The team is made up of pediatric and palliative care specialists, nurses, social services, therapist and pastoral care. ... [Through two decades,] pediatric palliative care has evolved. At Norton Children's Hospital it has grown into a team of almost a dozen people, specializing in not just treating, but caring for the sickest patients and their families.

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Integrating social determinants into palliative care

04/18/25 at 03:00 AM

Integrating social determinants into palliative care Hospice News; by Holly Vossel; 4/16/25 Strong staff education and reimbursement are among the keys to successfully integrating social determinants of health within a palliative care program. Screening tools developed by the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS) include five areas of social determinants of health: food and housing insecurity, transportation needs, utility difficulties and interpersonal safety. Supplemental domains include financial stability, employment and family and social support, among others.

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Palliative care and advanced cardiovascular disease in adults: Not just end-of-life care: A scientific statement from the American Heart Association

04/18/25 at 03:00 AM

Palliative care and advanced cardiovascular disease in adults: Not just end-of-life care: A scientific statement from the American Heart Association AHAIASA Journals - American Heart Association; by Lucinda J. Graven, PhD, APRN, FAHA, Lisa Kitko, PhD, RN, FAHA, Martha Abshire Saylor, PhD, MSN, BA, RN, Larry Allen, MD, MHS, FAHA, Angela Durante, PhD, RN, Lorraine S. Evangelista, PhD, RN, CNS, WAN, FAHA, Amy Fiedler, MD, James Kirkpatrick, MD, Lakeisha Mixon, MSW, and Rachel Wells, PhD, MSN, BA on behalf of the American Heart Association Complex Cardiovascular Nursing Care Science Committee of the Council on Cardiovascular and Stroke Nursing; and Council on Cardiovascular Surgery and Anesthesia; 4/17/25  ... This scientific statement (1) discusses the application of effective communication, shared decision-making, age-friendly care, and advance care planning in advanced cardiovascular disease palliative care; (2) provides a summary of recent evidence related to palliative care and symptom management, quality of life, spiritual and psychological support, and bereavement support in individuals with advanced cardiovascular disease and their care partners; (3) discusses issues involving diversity, equity, and inclusion in cardiovascular disease palliative care; (4) highlights the ethical and legal concerns surrounding palliative care and implanted cardiac devices; and (5) provides strategies for palliative care engagement in adults with advanced cardiovascular disease for the care team.

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More than just meds: What a palliative care pharmacist learned from the bedside

04/17/25 at 03:00 AM

More than just meds: What a palliative care pharmacist learned from the bedside Pharmacy Times; by Trinh Bui, PharmD, Yale New Haven Health; April 2025 Issue A palliative care pharmacist highlights a spectrum of clinical opportunities for patients, caregivers, and clinicians when rounding at the bedside. ... I hold a unique clinical position. In 2018, the National Palliative Care Registry reported that less than 10% of national palliative care (PC) programs have a dedicated pharmacist. I am a member of the PC consultation service at a cancer hospital affiliated with a large tertiary academic medical center in New Haven, Connecticut. Routinely, we are consulted for at least 40 patients a day, with more than 2000 consults in 2024. ... A benefit of having a clinical pharmacist on the interdisciplinary team includes the ability to provide off-label medication to optimize complex medication regimens while honoring patients’ psychosocial, cultural, and spiritual needs. ...

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Patient-centered communication drives supportive care needs in incurable cancer

04/17/25 at 03:00 AM

Patient-centered communication drives supportive care needs in incurable cancer Oncology Nursing News; by Kristie L. Kahl; 4/16/25 The Primary Palliative Care Communication Intervention (PRECURSOR) may improve the psychosocial experiences of patients with incurable gynecologic cancer and their caregivers in the outpatient setting, according to results of a pilot study presented at the 50th Annual ONS Congress. ... Currently, most of the conversation around supportive care is provider-driven, and clinical tendency is to insert palliative care in the terminal setting. However, the study investigators aimed to integrate supportive care across the cancer continuum.

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The modern health care professional: How to combine skills from different fields to redefine your career

04/16/25 at 03:00 AM

The modern health care professional: How to combine skills from different fields to redefine your career MedPage Today's KevinMD.com; by Jalene Jacob, MD, MBA; 4/11/25 Gone are the days when careers followed linear paths and job titles neatly fit into predefined boxes. Today’s health care industry celebrates versatility, and hybrid professionals are redefining what it means to succeed. A hybrid health care professional combines skills and expertise from different fields, blending knowledge to create unique value in the health care space. Whether you’re a nurse with coding skills, a doctor with a passion for data analysis and research, or a biomedical engineer with a talent for design and business, hybridization is becoming the new competitive advantage. This article explores how early professionals can harness their diverse interests and talents to shape their careers and stand out in a rapidly evolving job market.

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Brain activity before death: Do we see our lives flash?

04/15/25 at 03:00 AM

Brain activity before death: Do we see our lives flash? Time.News; interview with Dr. Eleanor Vance; 4/12/25 What flashes through our minds in the final moments of life? Could it be an intense reel of our most cherished memories or a profound sense of calm? Recent studies suggest that the brain may not simply shut down at death; instead, it could be engaged in a powerful replay of life’s most significant moments, offering a glimpse into the mysteries of consciousness and the human experience.

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Lonely planet: How the world is fighting social isolation

04/15/25 at 02:00 AM

Lonely planet: How the world is fighting social isolation Medscape Medical News; by Deborah Brauser; 3/25/25 Loneliness/social isolation isn’t just a transient emotion or situation, it’s turned into a global crisis with serious public health consequences. In 2023, then–US Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, MD, sounded the alarm, declaring loneliness an epidemic and citing seminal research equating its harmful effects to smoking 15 cigarettes a day. The numbers tell a stark story: Recent research has linked chronic loneliness to depression, dementia, and even early death.Editor's note: Pair this with our recent post, Risk factors for and health status of socially isolated adults.

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What role do immigrants play in the direct long-term care workforce?

04/10/25 at 02:00 AM

What role do immigrants play in the direct long-term care workforce? KFF; by Priya Chidambaram and Drishti Pillai; 4/2/25 President Trump has made a slew of immigration policy changes focused on restricting entry at the border and increasing interior enforcement efforts to support mass deportation. While these actions are focused on undocumented immigrants, they likely will have ripple effects across immigrants of all statuses and millions more people living in immigrant families. Mass deportations could negatively impact the U.S. economy and workforce, given the role immigrants play, particularly in certain industries. ...

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Nurse honor guard hoping to grow in South Dakota

04/08/25 at 03:15 AM

Nurse honor guard hoping to grow in South Dakota Sisseton Courier, Sisston, SD; by Brenner Cariveau; 4/4/25Nurse Honor Guard is a national organization which aims to honor the life of a nurse in funeral services. Traveling home, health and hospice nurse Laura Frankenhoff said the ceremonies help highlight the career of the nurses and is a way to ensure they are recognized for the work they have done as a nurse. Nurse Honor Guard has been performing ceremonies to honor the lives of nurses nationwide since their inception in the 1980s, Frankenhoff said. Regarding the honor guard, the base is made up of volunteers, according to Frankenhoff. "It's a volunteer chapter. You can make a chapter anywhere." Editor's note: Especially for pioneer hospice organizations--typically non-profits but definitely not all--do you honor those who laid the foundations for the work you're able to do now? If not, how can you? While nurses are absolutely core, how might you also honor your aides, social workers, chaplains, grief counselors, executives, office staff, and others who invested their talents and years in hospice care? May we remember. May we humbly thank and honor them.

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[Spain] SECPAL and AETSyS will promote the recognition of social workers as health professionals.

04/08/25 at 03:00 AM

[Spain] SECPAL and AETSyS will promote the recognition of social workers as health professionals The Spanish Association of Social Work and Health (AETSyS) and the Spanish Society of Palliative Care (SECPAL); Press Release; 4/4/25The Spanish Association of Social Work and Health (AETSyS) and the Spanish Society of Palliative Care (SECPAL) have announced the signing of a collaboration agreement to promote the recognition of social workers as healthcare professionals in the National Health System (SNS), highlighting their "essential role" in the field of palliative care and in all dimensions of healthcare. ... "We social workers have been working in healthcare for a long time. We are part of the World Health Organization's (WHO) definition of 'health', which integrates the biological, psychological and social. We complete this definition within the teams, addressing the social dimension of health," explained the president of AETSyS, Miguela Arévalo García-Gasco. ... [The] vice-president of Social Work at SECPAL, Alejandro González Peña, ... has stressed that the figure of the social worker in palliative care teams is "indispensable" for providing comprehensive, quality care, ... Editor's note: Further access to this Spanish press release is limited. The title's link goes to a February post, for which you may be able to translate to English via your computer or mobile device.

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Practical tools and heartfelt hope: How Nancy Y Treaster is empowering dementia caregivers worldwide

04/07/25 at 03:00 AM

Practical tools and heartfelt hope: How Nancy Y Treaster is empowering dementia caregivers worldwide Thrive Global; by Stacey Chillemi; 4/2/25 In this empowering interview, dementia care expert Nancy Y Treaster shares practical strategies, emotional insights, and vital resources to help family caregivers navigate the challenges of caregiving with confidence and compassion. ...

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‘The most someone wants is to be heard’: Students foster connection, create memoirs for hospice patients

04/07/25 at 03:00 AM

‘The most someone wants is to be heard’: Students foster connection, create memoirs for hospice patients The Daily Texan - University of Texas, Austin, TX; 4/3/25 ... Brought to UT in 2023, Last Writers is a service organization where student volunteers interview hospice patients over the course of several months to write a memoir that is then printed and given to the patients and their families. The process is intended to bring comfort to hospice patients and create a physical memento for the families, representing their lives once they pass. ... “It’s not often that you’re a college student and you get to meet someone who is going to pass away in the next few months,” Nguyen said. “To be with them in that very vulnerable point, it gives you a lot of perspectives. A lot of our members come out of it realizing how much they have to live for. … It makes us more grateful in life and puts our mortality into perspective.” [Continue reading ...]

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Managing oncology nurse burnout through peer support, emotional intelligence

04/01/25 at 03:00 AM

Managing oncology nurse burnout through peer support, emotional intelligence Oncology Nursing News; by Pattie Jackel, MN, RN, AOCN; 3/28/25 Debriefing after patient loss, supporting patients at the end of life, and finding outlets outside of work can help oncology nurses avoid burnout. ... Pattie Jakel, MN, RN, AOCN, spoke with Oncology Nursing News® about burnout in oncology nursing and ways to avoid it while providing palliative care to patients. ... You have to have a strong network and support. And my husband is…an architect, so medicine is not his thing, and in the beginning, he’d be like, “Pattie, I can only hear one sad story a week because I can’t hear all your sad stories.” ... "Working in acute care, I saw some horrific death and dying that occurred for our patients. We would definitely debrief afterwards, bring the group together 5 minutes. Sometimes we did longer ones." [Continue reading ...]

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Hosparus celebrates social workers' impact on healing

03/31/25 at 02:00 AM

Hosparus celebrates social workers' impact on healingCorydon Democrat; 3/26/25 Hosparus Health Southern Indiana offers comprehensive grief support services to help individuals heal from loss in a caring and understanding environment. While recognizing National Social Work Month, Hosparus celebrates the compassionate guidance of its social workers and grief counselors who support individuals and families during their most difficult moments. Editor's note: Today's the last day of March as Social Worker month. You still have time to thank your all-important social workers. For more, see our post Social Media Toolkit for Social Work Month 2025. And, appreciation and recognition is not limited to the month of March. It needs to be alive and well all year long. 

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Hospital workers share 26 deathbed regrets they’ve heard that changed their lives

03/31/25 at 02:00 AM

Hospital workers share 26 deathbed regrets they’ve heard that changed their lives Boredpanda; by Ruta Zumbrickaite; 3/28/25 While painful, regret can also be a motivator for learning and growth, encouraging us to avoid repeating past mistakes and make better decisions in the future. We guess that’s why self-help author Debbie Ford once said, “Pain can be our greatest teacher.” Someone on the web asked hospital workers, “What regrets do you hear from dying patients?”, and folks who’ve been there in people’s last moments shared the words that hit them the hardest. Here’s a list of some of their most profound responses.  

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Hidden battles: Keeping cancer secret

03/27/25 at 03:00 AM

Hidden battles: Keeping cancer secret Harvard Health Publishing - Harvard Medical School; by Maureen Salamon; post is dated 4/1/25, retrieved from the internet 3/25/25 Some people choose to conceal their diagnosis and treatment. Here's why — and reasons that approach can sometimes backfire. ... [In addition to privacy motives, Cristina Pozo-Kaderman, a senior psychologist at Harvard-affiliated Dana-Farber Cancer Institute] says cancer patients may also wish to:

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Palliative care clinic offers supportive care for patients with end-stage heart failure

03/27/25 at 03:00 AM

Palliative care clinic offers supportive care for patients with end-stage heart failure Yale School of Medicine; by Rachel Martin; 3/25/25 ... Michael Beasley, MD, [Yale] assistant professor of medicine (cardiovascular medicine), and Nora Segar, MD, [Yale] assistant clinical professor (general internal medicine) and director of palliative medicine at the Saint Raphael Campus of Yale New Haven Hospital, recently established a new outpatient clinic to provide dedicated palliative care for people with end-stage heart failure. ... “For many patients with advanced heart failure, hospice care does not meet their needs until very late in their course,” said Segar, an early champion of the clinic. “Instead, by providing early palliative care outside of the hospital, when it’s not a time of crisis, we can help patients accept and cope with their prognosis, manage their symptoms, and continue making plans for the future.” New patients receive longer appointments, which allows the team to hear their stories and start building relationships with them. [Continue reading ...]Editor's note: For all palliative and hospice leaders, we highlight this last statement: "New patients receive longer appointments, which allows the team to hear their stories and start building relationships with them."

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Assisted ventilation withdrawal in motor neuron disease: updated results

03/26/25 at 03:00 AM

Assisted ventilation withdrawal in motor neuron disease: updated results BMJ Supportive & Palliative Care; by Lucy Bleazard, Jonathan Palmer, David Wenzel, Thomas Jeffery, and Christina Faull; 3/24/25 Introduction: Patients with ventilator-dependent motor neuron disease (MND) may request withdrawal of their assisted ventilation. Facilitating this process as a healthcare professional (HCP) can be emotionally and practically challenging. The Association for Palliative Medicine (APM) issued guidance to support HCPs and invited anonymised accounts of the withdrawal process to provide an update on the guidance. ... Results: Younger patients tended to need higher doses to achieve adequate symptom management prior to withdrawal. Practices of weaning the ventilator varied significantly between respondents. The median time to death following withdrawal of ventilation was 30 min, with three-quarters of patients dying within 2 hours. Conclusion: This is the largest data set to date regarding the withdrawal of assisted ventilation in MND. This updated analysis reaffirms that a personalised, titrated approach remains appropriate and effective. The revised APM Guidance 2025 incorporates new sections on recommendations for managing the ventilator. [Continue reading ...]

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Bringing palliative care to every patient with cancer: A conversation with Janet L. Abrahm, MD, FACP, FAAHPM, FASCO

03/25/25 at 03:00 AM

Bringing palliative care to every patient with cancer: A conversation with Janet L. Abrahm, MD, FACP, FAAHPM, FASCO The ASCO Post, in partnership with the American Society of Clinical Oncology; by Jo Cavallo; 3/25/25 Janet L. Abrahm, MD, FACP, FAAHPM, FASCO, ... has become a widely recognized leader in the field of supportive care and palliative medicine, serving for nearly a decade on the leadership team of the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine and helping to craft the first Hospice and Palliative Medicine certifying examination offered by the American Board of Internal Medicine. ... In a wide-ranging interview with The ASCO Post, Dr. Abrahm discussed the importance of providing every patient with cancer access to palliative medicine throughout survivorship, how oncologists can become more effective communicators, and strategies to alleviate patients’ suffering at the end of life.

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Carolyn Hax: Does sibling love justify traveling to abusive mom’s deathbed?

03/25/25 at 03:00 AM

Carolyn Hax: Does sibling love justify traveling to abusive mom’s deathbed?The Washington Post, Washington, DC; 3/24/25 Sister asks the letter writer to join her at their dying mom’s bedside — despite their PTSD-inducing childhoods. [The rest of this article may require a subscription to The Washington Post.]Editor's note: Even if you're not able to access the full article, what does this question stir in you? Be aware that many family caregivers (or simply family members) face complex, conflicted relationships with the persons they are tending--or in this case, even considering visiting or not. Be attuned to these common, everyday occurrences that your direct care interdisciplinary team members regularly navigate. What family systems' education and support do you provide for them?

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‘Early discussions on what to expect can lessen the strain’

03/21/25 at 03:00 AM

‘Early discussions on what to expect can lessen the strain’ Nursing Times; by Kylie Chaffin; 3/19/25 The article explains the pros and cons of nutrition and hydration at end of life and the several types of artificial nutrition and hydration that can be used, written in a way patients and families can understand. Resources and educational articles, like this one, can also be a great way to introduce new or even more effective ways nurses and care team members can support patients and families when pursuing a palliative approach to their health and wellbeing. My question for readers is, “Should the conversation of end-of-life, hospice and palliative care, and nutritional changes, be initiated sooner rather than later in patients with a terminal diagnosis?”

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Health care system adaptation and resilience during the wildfire crisis

03/21/25 at 03:00 AM

Health care system adaptation and resilience during the wildfire crisisJAMA Network; by Attila J. Hertelendy, PhD, Jeremy Maggin, MD, MS, and Gregory Ciottone, MD; 3/19/25 ... Within a span of hours, the Palisades and Eaton fires, propelled by record-breaking Santa Ana winds reaching 150 miles per hour, consumed more than 37,000 acres, destroyed more than 16,000 structures, and claimed 29 lives. All told, greater than 186,000 residents were placed under evacuation orders. ... The experience in Los Angeles County demonstrates the value of maintaining dual-purpose resources: facilities and personnel who can transition between routine operations and emergency response functions. This approach is exemplified by Kaiser Permanente’s successful deployment of mobile health vehicles and the use of clinically trained administrative leaders in direct patient care roles during crisis events. Key elements of successful resource mobilization include:

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Hastening death by stopping eating and drinking: Hope Wechkin, Thaddeus Pope, and Josh Briscoe

03/21/25 at 03:00 AM

Hastening death by stopping eating and drinking: Hope Wechkin, Thaddeus Pope, and Josh Briscoe GeriPal Podcasts; by Hope Wechkin, Thaddeus Pope, and Josh Briscoe Eric and Alex have featured discussions about complex bioethical concepts around caring for people at the end of life, including voluntarily stopping eating and drinking (VSED), and multiple episodes about the ethical issues surrounding medical aid in dying (MAID). Recently, discussion has emerged about how these issues intertwine in caring for patients with advancing dementia who have stated that they would not want to continue living in that condition: for those with an advanced directive to stop eating and drinking, how do we balance caring for their rational past self and their experiential current self? Should these patients qualify for medical aid in dying medications? And is there a middle path to provide some degree of comfort while also hastening the end of life?

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From heroes to burnout: How we failed our frontline health workers

03/20/25 at 03:00 AM

From heroes to burnout: How we failed our frontline health workers MedPage Today's KevinMD.com, and excerpt from Health Care Nation; by Tom Lawry; 3/15/25 Of all the lessons learned from fighting a pandemic, none was more frightening or important than discovering how dependent the system is on how we treat our doctors, nurses, and frontline caregivers.  They were already in short supply, with burnout on the rise, when the pandemic hit. As multiple waves of COVID-19 variants washed over us, frontline health workers stepped in at great risk and personal sacrifice to care for highly infectious patients. ... Some witnessed more deaths on a double shift than they did in a normal year. They delivered the bad news to families and managed end-of-life care. They were often the last face and warm voice a COVID-19 victim saw and heard. In the end, they not only saved lives but saved the system from total collapse. ... We called them heroes. And we promised to do better in how we treated them once the COVID-19 crisis passed. Promises made should be promises kept. While we continue to talk about workforce burnout using polite terms with concern in our voices, let us be clear: A system with a mission of healing continues to harm in record numbers the very people in short supply who are there to take care of the rest of us. ... [Click on the title's link for more.]

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