Literature Review

Alzheimer's Disease and Related Dementias: Caregiver perspectives on hospice re-enrollment following a hospice live dischargeJournal of Palliative Medicine, by Stephanie P Wladkowski, Susan Enguídanos; 10/23Three-quarters of participants (n = 16) would consider re-enrolling their loved one in hospice. However, some believed they would have to wait for a medical crisis (n = 6) to re-enroll, while others (n = 10) questioned the appropriateness of hospice for patients with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias if they cannot remain in hospice care until death.

Patient Focus: When Should People With Heart Failure Who Were Admitted to the Hospital Think About Palliative or Hospice Care? An Explanation of “Factors Associated with Mortality and Hospice Use Among Medicare Beneficiaries With Heart Failure Who Received Home Health Services”Journal of Cardiac Failure, by Spencer Carter, MD; Jennifer T. Thibodeau, MD, MSCS; 12/23Hospital stays for patients with heart failure are serious events that mean that the heart may be sicker. Some people with heart failure who are in the hospital are at higher risk of dying within 6 months after their hospital stay. This study describes differing characteristics of people who might be at higher risk of death and who may benefit from palliative or hospice care to better support them.Publisher's note: Also see https://onlinejcf.com/article/S1071-9164(23)00922-3/abstract. 

Saturday NewslettersResearch literature is the focus of Saturday newsletters - enjoy!

Are hospice Google ratings correlated with patient experience scores? Evidence from a national hospice studyAmerican Journal of Hopsice and Palliative Care, by Ganisher Davlyatov, Mengying He, Gregory Orewa, Haiyan Qu, Robert Weech-Maldonado; 2/22Choosing hospice care for your loved ones is often challenging. Online ratings such as Google rating has become a go-to source for most consumers. Hospice Google ratings were highly correlated with patients' and families' experience scores as measured by the CAHPS survey.

Participant safety in multisite, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trials in hospice/palliative care: Data from the contracted studies of the Australian National Palliative Care Clinical Studies CollaborativeJournal of Palliative Medicine, by David C. Currow, Belinda Fazekas, Linda Brown, Slavica Kochovska, Katherine Clark, Meera R. Agar; 1/24Controversies surround conduct of phase III clinical trials in palliative care... These studies are safe for participants and generate knowledge to support informed patient decision making.

A comparison of hospice care utilization between rural and urban children in Appalachia: A geographic information systems analysisAmerican Journal of Hospice and Palliative Care, by Radion Svynarenko, Guoping Huang, Jessica Keim-Malpass, Melanie J Cozad, Kerri A Qualls, Whitney Stone Sharp, Deb A Kirkland, Lisa C Lindley; 3/24Long driving times from hospice providers to patients lead to poor quality of care, which may exacerbate in rural and highly isolated areas of Appalachia. This study aimed to investigate geographic patterns of pediatric hospice care across Appalachia... State-level policies should be developed to reduce driving times from hospice providers.

Hospice capacity to provide General Inpatient Care: Emergency Department utilization and live discharge among cancer patientsAmerican Journal of Hospice and Palliative Care, by Kyusuk Chung, M Courtney Hughes, Sara Rahmanian Koushkaki, Mia Richelle Risberg, Michelle Alcantara, Jennifer M Amico; 1/24Our results suggest that hospices capable of providing GIP care have lower live discharge rates than their counterparts. However, the fact that GIP care tends to be provided too close to death limits its effectiveness in preventing avoidable emergency department use.

Hospice care experiences among Medicare decedents with and without COVID-19, 2020–2021Journal of Pain and Symptom Management, by Ann Haas MS, MPH; Rebecca Anhang Price PhD; Marc N. Elliott PhD; Joan M. Teno MD, MS; Maria DeYoreo PhD; 2/24COVID-19, the third leading cause of death in the U.S. in 2020–2021, affected hospice care for all patients and their caregivers in many ways; patients with COVID-19 faced additional restrictions on visitations as well as direct effects of the disease. Using CAHPS Hospice Survey data from 3274 hospices nationally, we found that caregivers of Medicare decedents without COVID-19 diagnoses in 2020–2021 reported slightly worse hospice care experiences than caregivers prior to the pandemic. However, experiences for decedents with COVID-19 early in the pandemic (Quarters 2–4 of 2020) were 3.2 to 4.3 points lower than for decedents without COVID-19; these are medium-to-large differences, and larger than observed among any of the 20 most common primary diagnosis groups for the 2 overall assessments of care.

Study testing new strategy for spotting, managing pain in dementia patients McKnights Long-Term Care News, by Kimberly Marselas; 2/1/24Up to 80% of dementia patients living in nursing homes also experience pain, but many struggle to communicate their symptoms. A new, $2.1 million study aims to test recently revised guidelines for staff members tasked with detecting and managing that pain. ... Barbara Resnick, PhD, RN, professor and associate dean for research at the University of Maryland School of Nursing, will lead the project at 12 nursing homes over the next five years.

Coming to terms : Female veterans' experience of serious illnessJournal of Hospice & Palliative Nursing, by Varilek, Brandon M. PhD, RN, PCCN-K, CCTC, CNE, CHPN; Varilek, Brandon M. PhD, RN, PCCN-K, CCTC, CNE, CHPN; Isaacson, Mary J. PhD, RN, RHNC, CHPN, FPCN; 1/16/24Female veteran populations are growing internationally and are more likely than men to develop certain serious illnesses, including some cancers. In the United States, fewer than 50% of eligible female veterans sought care at Veteran Affairs facilities. In addition, female veterans are not well represented within palliative care research, and little research exists that explores the female veteran experience of living with a serious illness. The purpose of this study was to explore female veterans' experiences of living with a serious illness.

Family caregiver communication and perceptions of involvement in hospice careJournal of Palliative Medicine, by Archana Bharadwaj, Debra Parker Oliver, Karla T. Washington, Jacquelyn Benson, Kyle Pitzer, Patrick White, George Demiris; 1/24/24The burden of caregiving for family members is significant and becomes particularly challenging at end of life, with negative effects on mental health, including anxiety and depression. Research has shown caregivers need better communication with their health care team. Caregiver-centered communication was positively associated with perceptions of involvement in care.

Cost and utilization implications of a health plan's home-based palliative care programJournal of Palliative Medicine, by Kimberly A. Bower, Jenelle Hallock, Xiaoli Li, Tyler Kent, Liane Wardlow; 1/25/24A California-based health plan offered home-based palliative care (HBPC) to members who needed support at home but did not yet qualify for hospice. Although individuals in both groups were living with serious illnesses for which worsening health and increased acute care utilization are expected over time, both groups had reduced acute care utilization and costs during the study period compared with the prestudy period. Reduced utilization and costs were equivalent for both groups.

Health care contact days among older adults in Traditional MedicareAnnals of Internal Medicine, by Ishani Ganguli, MD, MPH; Emma D. Chant, PhD; E. John Orav, PhD; Ateev Mehrotra, MD, MPH; Christine S. Ritchie, MD, MSPH; 1/23/24Days spent obtaining health care outside the home can represent not only access to needed care but also substantial time, effort, and cost, especially for older adults and their care partners. Yet, these “health care contact days” have not been characterized. On average, older adults spent 3 weeks in the year getting care outside the home. These contact days were mostly ambulatory and varied widely not only by number of chronic conditions but also by sociodemographic factors, geography, and care-seeking behaviors.Publisher's note: Also see Healthcare contact days among older adults living with dementia.