Literature Review

Oregon OSHA pursues workplace violence prevention rule for healthcare employers Mondaq; by Littler Mendelson; 8/26/26 Oregon OSHA has proposed a comprehensive workplace violence prevention rule for healthcare employers, implementing Senate Bill 537's statutory requirements. The proposal mandates periodic security assessments, development of prevention programs, and annual training for hospitals, ambulatory surgical centers, home health agencies, and hospice programs. While the healthcare industry broadly supports violence prevention efforts, questions remain about whether the rule's training requirements exceed legislative.

Soul injury in St. Augustine aims to help health workers with trauma The St. Augustine Record, St. Augustine, FL; by Lucia Viti; 8/24/26 Community Hospice & Palliative Care is bringing a specialized Soul Injury Workshop to St. Augustine, designed to help health-care workers address the emotional wounds that often accompany trauma, grief and caregiving. The workshop brings together child protection advocates, mental health providers, victim advocates, educators, domestic violence staff, social workers, first responders, nurses, nursing students and other medical professionals. [Additional access may be limited by a paywall.]Editor's Note: This community initiative exemplifies excellence for collaboration across the continuum of care. Every hospice patient, caregiver, and family arrives carrying their own history of trauma, grief, and caregiving — unhealed "soul injury," in Deborah Grassman's language of unmourned loss and unforgiven guilt. A hospice's most sacred season can reinforce those wounds through rushed, dismissive care, or begin to heal them through compassionate presence. Which door are you opening?

‘Pitt’ Crew: all 13 Emmy-nominated actors on bedside manners, blow-ups and fan theoriesTheWrap; by Steve Pond and TheWrap Staff; 8/21/26 TheWrap magazine: “It’s such a collective effort,” Noah Wyle says of making the hit HBO Max hospital drama. ... The 13 acting nominees, one shy of the record set by “Succession,” spoke to TheWrap about life in the Pittsburgh Trauma Medical Center. Noah Wyle, Dr. Michael “Robby” Rabinovitch, Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series: If Wyle’s Dr. Robby is a broken hero in the first season, he’s shattered in the second, mistreating his staff and acting so self-destructively that he seems borderline suicidal. His perpetually dark mood did not go unnoticed among “Pitt” fans. ... [Continue reading for descriptions by the actors about The Pitt's characters they portray: Dr. Frank Langdon, Dr. Jack Abbot, Dr. Dennis Whitaker, Dr. Melissa King, Dr. Cassie McKay, Charge Nurse Dana Evans, Dr. Baran Al-Hashimi, Louie Cloverfield, Duke Ekins, Roxie Hamler, Becca King, Ilana Miller.]Editor's Note: Use small excerpts in your staff meetings and clinical education to explore specific topics with engaging, memorable examples. Invite insights from attendees.

Healing thyself: managing moral injury in healthcare Psychology Today; by Wendy L. Patrick, JD, MDiv, PhD; 8/16/26 Key Points

Palliative care consults for the oldest-old: A retrospective study of referral patterns, patient characteristics, and clinical outcomes Geriatric Nursing; by John Cameron, Kalli Stilos, Anita Chakraborty; 8/11/26Objective: This study describes the characteristics and outcomes of patients aged 90 and older (the oldest-old) receiving inpatient palliative care consultation at a tertiary care hospital, to identify gaps and opportunities to improve care. ... Conclusion: Referrals for specialist palliative care in the oldest-old occur late in hospitalization, predominantly among those with non-cancer illnesses and poor functional status. Systemic changes, including the use of prognostication tools and enhanced collaboration between geriatric and palliative care services, are needed. Nurses are pivotal in advocating for earlier advance care planning (ACP) and identifying patients who would benefit from timely palliative integration to ensure goal-concordant care.

Scans tell us about the cancer. Functional status tells us about the patient. South Florida Hospital News and Healthcare Report; by Dr. Ileana Leyva; 8/1/26 In an era of precision oncology, we closely track biomarkers, imaging findings and treatment response. Yet one of the strongest predictors of how a patient is truly doing often receives less attention: functional status. When patients experience progressive fatigue, need more assistance with daily activities or spend more time in bed, clinicians and families may normalize these changes as expected consequences of cancer or treatment. Yet progressive functional decline is frequently the clearest indication that an illness trajectory is changing. It is often a signal that warrants a broader conversation about prognosis, goals of care and whether the current treatment plan still aligns with what matters most to the patient. As physicians, we routinely rely on objective measures to assess disease progression. While scans tell us how a tumor is behaving, functional status tells us how the patient is living. Both are essential to understanding prognosis and making care decisions that align with patient goals.Editor's Note: Read this phrase again, "While scans tell us how a tumor is behaving, functional status tells us how the patient is living." Whule this article is for oncologist, your hospice interdisciplinary teams' interactions with patients and caregivers provide rich, relevant, time-sensitive conversations, observations, and supportive interventions. What kinds of team coordination exist between your physicians and team members who visit regularly in the patient's home setting (aka, home/ALF/LTC)?

Palliative Care team manifests dreams of butterbeer and Harry Potter Vanderbilt Health News, Nashville, TN; by Jill Clendening; 7/20/26 After Mike Guth and his family learned that his pancreatic cancer had advanced beyond treatment, the Vanderbilt Health Palliative Care team worked magic to make a dream trip possible. ... Mike, 53, a beloved high school social studies teacher in southern Indiana and father of four, was diagnosed with Stage 2 pancreatic cancer in early 2025. ... Mike has always loved the magical lore of Harry Potter, excitedly consuming the books and movies with their children (now adults). Mike perhaps seized inspiration from the plot twists of the fantasy series to say he still longed to visit The Wizarding World of Harry Potter in Orlando, Florida. With careful planning to manage symptoms and stay on top of hydration, the Vanderbilt Health Palliative Care team surprised the Guths and said his dream was doable. ... Palliative care physician Zack Watson, MD described, "for him to have that time with his kids and his wife. Hopefully, this gave them an anchor of joy in the midst of this really tough time." On July 14, Mike died peacefully at home, surrounded by his loved ones.

Missed opportunities to promote flourishing in cancer care: a brief examination of multiple myeloma Supportive Care in Cancer; by Natalie Tuckey, Hannah R. Wardill, Xavier Symons, Melissa Cantley, Kathina Ali, Hayley Beer, Gregory B. Crawford, Angelina Yong & Matthew Iasiello; 7/8/26... We propose that certain elements of flourishing, such as meaning and purpose, deep personal relationships, and cultivating virtue, can be uniquely realized if targeted appropriately toward the end of life. ...  Participants reported personal growth following their diagnosis through acceptance, meaning-making, and connection, yet reported the loneliness of dying with cancer with a desire to have discussions about death with their clinicians in addition to them maintaining treatment. On the contrary, health professionals were hesitant to discuss death with their patients, balancing hope in treatments with preparation for dying. We argue that the hesitation to discuss death thwarts the opportunity to flourish and that existing solutions such as dignity therapy, meaning-centered psychotherapy, early palliative care, and multidisciplinary support can close this gap without diminishing hope in treatments.Editor's Note: For a recent, similar research article about "flourishing," examine "Flourishing within vulnerability: on human fragility and the conditions for a habitable environment."

Hospice of New York revamps hospital-based Hospice IPU, Palliative Program Hospice News; by Jim Parker; 7/8/26 Hospice of New York has reinvigorated its inpatient unit at Wyckoff Heights Medical Center, as well as developed an inpatient palliative care program. The program begins with one nurse practitioner and one social worker. Today it not only includes those disciplines, but also an attending physician and two nurses, according to founding nurse practitioner Simon Ubabov of Hospice of New York. Ubabov manages the palliative care service while the attending physician oversees the hospice inpatient unit. “Palliative care, hospice IPUs increase not just objectively the patient’s experience, not just the monetary remuneration that the facility gets, but more importantly the overall care that these patients get at the end of life,” Ubabov told Hospice News.

Addressing the emotional and psychologic toll of a cancer diagnosis Cancer Therapy Advisor; by Sabrina Martinez, MS and Jason L. Harris; 7/7/26 Patients with cancer experience distress not only from receiving a jarring diagnosis, but also a treatment regimen that can be difficult and debilitating, additional challenges to relationships that might be fraught already, significant financial stress, and the reality of death. Many also experience thoughts of fear of recurrence, stress, depression, anxiety, self-consciousness, and loneliness. The mental and emotional burden of cancer can be as difficult as enduring the disease itself. We spoke with oncologists and experts in psycho-oncology to get their perspectives on delivering “bad” news, working with loved ones and caregivers, resources for those involved in the patient’s cancer journey, and survivorship issues that should be addressed.

At Hospice Austin’s summer camp, kids find joy together after experiencing loss KUT 90.5, Austin, TX; by Olivia Aldridge; 6/29/26 On a Friday in mid-June, middle school-aged kids lined up for their shot at a summer camp rite of passage: the infamous high ropes course at John Knox Ranch in Fischer, Texas. The ranch hosts Camp Brave Heart, Hospice Austin’s annual camp for kids and teens who have experienced loss. 13-year-old Alisa bravely stepped up to the challenge first. Soon enough, she was strapped into a harness, inching along ropes strung 30 feet in the air. “You are rocking this!” the counselor belaying her from the ground yelled as Alisa neared the end of the course. “Take a second — you want to look at the view?”