Literature Review

Palliative care staff attitudes toward music therapy for hospitalized adult patients American Journal of Hospice and Palliative Medicine (AJHPM); by Katherine A. Carney, APRN, CNP, MS, Rachel M. Wiste, APRN, CNP, MSN, Susanne M. Cutshall, APRN, CNS, DNP, MS, Christina Wood, MA, MT-BC, Rachel C. Gentes, APRN, CNP, MSN, Brianna E. Larsen, MA, MT-BC, Nana A. Tiwaa, MAS, Amelia E. Tetlie, APRN, CNP, DNP, and Regina M. Mackey, MD; 12/18/25 ... Top reasons for music therapy (MT) referral were psychosocial support, pain and symptom management, and coping. The most common symptom-focused indications were anxiety, mood, and existential distress. A variety of factors influenced decisions to refer for MT. Most felt that at least half of their patients could benefit from MT, and nearly all rated MT as “extremely” or “very” effective for improving patients’ quality of life.Editor's Note: Visit stories about music therapy the American Music Therapy Association. For clinical uses of music therapy in hospice and bereavement care, I invite you to explore my book, Music of the Soul - Composing Life Out of Loss, published in Routledge's Series in Death, Dying and Bereavement, 2006. 

Hospice News’ 10 most-read stories of 2025 Hospice News; by Jim Parker; 12/19/25 Large acquisitions, regulatory headwinds and the fate of COVID-era telehealth flexibilities were top-of-mind issues for hospice providers in 2025, as evidenced by the 10 most-read Hospice News stories of the year. ... The following are the 10 most-read Hospice News articles of 2025.

IAHPC 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]

Impact of prognostic notifications on inpatient advance care planning: A cluster randomized trialJournal of Pain and Symptom Management; by Jessica E Ma, Kayla W Kilpatrick, Clemontina A Davenport, Jonathan Walter, Yvonne Acker, Noppon Setji, Maren K Olsen, Mihir Patel, Michael Gao, Matthew Gardner, Jamie Gollon, Mark Sendak, Suresh Balu, David Casarett;12/25A poor prognosis is an important trigger for advance care planning (ACP) conversations, but clinicians often overestimate prognosis... A pragmatic cluster randomized trial... randomized attending physicians on the inpatient medicine team. An email and page notification was sent to physicians randomized to intervention group for admitted patients at high risk of 30-day and 6-month death based on a machine learning model. The notification recommended to have and document an ACP conversation in the electronic health record (EHR)... Patients of physicians randomized to the intervention group were more likely to have a documented ACP conversation by the randomized physician compared to the control group.

[UK] 'It’s like a weight lifted off your shoulders’: A qualitative study of adult carers taking a breakJournal of Family Issues; by Richard Meade, Debbie Cavers, Neneh Rowa-DewarView; 11/25Unpaid carers play a vital role in supporting individuals with life-limiting conditions, yet without adequate support, they risk poor health and burnout. Ten in-depth interviews were conducted with carers who had used temporary institutional respite services in Scotland. Six key themes emerged: ‘Caring is all-consuming’; ‘Caring changes sense of self’; ‘Relief, recovery, repair’; ‘Breaks give carers their lives back (briefly)’; ‘A break doesn’t solve everything’; and ‘Trust in the respite centre is crucial’. Findings indicate that institutional respite care provides overwhelmingly positive experiences for most carers, offering them essential relief and recovery from the demanding nature of caregiving. However, the benefits were often short-lived, with carers expressing a need for longer and more frequent breaks.

Bereavement service deserts: A 2024 statewide assessment of  bereavement services Death Studies, open access; by Christopher W. Giang, Luisa Kcomt, Joshua Truchan, Kara Dickinson, Rebecca J. Evans-Polce & Sean Esteban McCabe; 12/5/25... This paper introduces the term “bereavement service desert” to describe geographic areas with high mortality and little to no access to bereavement services. Bereavement services deserts are especially concerning where elevated death rates are met with an absence of formal grief supports, trained providers, or community-based resources. As these trends in death have continued to rise over the last decade, the social and economic costs of unresolved grief are becoming more apparent in families, schools, com munities, workplaces, and healthcare systems. ...Editor's Note: Though this research focuses on bereavement agencies across Michigan's 83 counties, its methodologies and outcomes provide data, references, and insights relevant to examining bereavement care in all U.S. states. What are the "bereavement service deserts" in the your state(s)? In the areas you serve?

A legacy of care: How Good Shepherd has served Newton for nearly 50 yearsFig City News, Newton, MA; by Parker Maslowski; 12/15/25 … The story of Good Shepherd began, fittingly, with an act of compassion that crossed an ocean. In the late 1970s, members of the Parish of the Good Shepherd learned about the revolutionary hospice movement emerging in England. … A group of parishioners believed Newton needed something similar. … Newton-Wellesley Hospital donated office space in the Ellison Building. The small program assembled a core team of nurses, a physician, social workers, and volunteers who provided direct patient support, administrative help, and fundraising. And the Hospice of the Good Shepherd opened its doors in the fall of 1979 – the first hospice in Massachusetts. 

The future of the hospice physician: HOPE, staffing & technology Maxwell TEC; podcast by Tom Maxwell with Dr. Andrew Mayo and Dr. Tiffany Richter; 12/15/25... In this episode, Tom sits down with two of the most respected clinical leaders in the country: Dr. Andrew Mayo (Chief Medical Officer, St. Croix Hospice) and Dr. Tiffany Richter (Chief Medical Officer, Agape Care Group). They break down the debate between full-time vs. contracted physicians, the "hybrid" model that is winning, and the heartbreaking regulatory gaps preventing dialysis patients from accessing hospice care. Plus, they share deeply personal stories that remind us why we do this work. 

Illinois is newest state to allow medical assistance in dying after Pritzker signs billCBS News, Chicago; by Sara Tenenbaum and Charlie De Mar; 12/12/25, 11:02 am CST Gov. JB Pritzker signed a new law Friday making Illinois the newest state allowing medically assisted dying in terminally ill residents. Known as "Deb's Lawn," allows eligible terminally ill adults with a prognosis to live six months or less to request a prescription from their doctor that would allow them to die on their own terms. The legislation was narrowly approve by the Illinois Senate in October after the Illinois House passed it in May. People on both sides of the debate over the controversial legislation lobbied the governor up until the last minute. Medical aid in dying, also called assisted suicide or dying with dignity, is already legal in 12 states. Eight more are considering similar legislation. Pritzker's signature makes Illinois the first state in the Midwest to allow medically assisted death.Click here for Governor Pritzker's press release; click here for the text of SB1950.

Illinois is newest state to allow medical assistance in dying after Pritzker signs bill CBS News, Chicago; by Sara Tenenbaum and Charlie De Mar; 12/12/25, 11:02 am CST Gov. JB Pritzker signed a new law Friday making Illinois the newest state allowing medically assisted dying in terminally ill residents. Known as "Deb's Lawn," allows eligible terminally ill adults with a prognosis to live six months or less to request a prescription from their doctor that would allow them to die on their own terms. The legislation was narrowly approve by the Illinois Senate in October after the Illinois House passed it in May. People on both sides of the debate over the controversial legislation lobbied the governor up until the last minute. Medical aid in dying, also called assisted suicide or dying with dignity, is already legal in 12 states. Eight more are considering similar legislation. Pritzker's signature makes Illinois the first state in the Midwest to allow medically assisted death.

Oregon state legislators weigh hospice CON reformHospice News; by Holly Vossel; 12/1/25Oregon state lawmakers are considering tightening regulatory oversight of hospice expansion with revisions to its certificate of need (CON) policies. Legislators are currently mulling potential changes to the state’s existing CON laws for 2026. This process pertains to part of a hospice licensure and oversight bill introduced in 2025. A focus group has been established to address some of the lingering questions related to the bill. Among the concerns are the increased volume of for-profit hospice providers entering the state in recent years and how this trend relates to availability of high quality services, Sen. Deb Patterson (D-District 10) indicated in a recent state Senate committee meeting recording shared with Hospice News... “Oregon needs to do something,” Oregon Hospice & Palliative Care Association CEO Barb Hansen said. “We can’t be passive. We have nothing in our rules that prevents someone from starting a hospice where it’s not needed. Patients, regardless of where they live in Oregon, should have access to high quality care, and the state of Oregon can do something to help enhance that. Where we need the growth is in rural areas.”

Ask Sheri: Overcoming fear and expressing thanks Lovin' Life; by Sheri Simpson; 12/7/25Dear Sheri,When my mother’s health began to decline, our family found ourselves standing at the edge of something we couldn’t quite prepare for. ... From the very first visit, the hospice team wrapped my mother — and our entire family — in comfort, dignity and compassion. They didn’t just care for her; they cared about her. They learned her favorite songs, listened to her stories, and treated her as the vibrant, funny, loving woman she’d always been. The nurses would hum along when she sang softly, and one even brought her a small, crocheted blanket because she noticed how much mom loved the color lavender. Hospice is not about giving up, it’s about giving more: more peace, more presence, more love. Azorna Hospice helped us see that. ...