Literature Review
All posts tagged with “Research News.”
Saturday Newsletters
02/03/24 at 03:00 AMSaturday NewslettersResearch literature is the focus of Saturday newsletters - enjoy!
New UMass Chan patient communication training simulation program receives funding via Catalyst Award
01/30/24 at 04:04 AMNew UMass Chan patient communication training simulation program receives funding via Catalyst AwardUMass Chan News, by Pat Sargent; 1/29/24The program, “Apology and Disclosure: Developing Competency for Patient Safety and Equity,” is led by Stacy E. Potts, MD, MEd, professor of family medicine & community health and senior associate dean for graduate medical education and clinical affairs; and Sunita Puri, MD, MS, associate professor of medicine and program director of the hospice and palliative medicine fellowship. ... The Josiah Macy Jr. Foundation Catalyst Award is for $50,000 over one year.
Will scandal at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute cause big damage?
01/30/24 at 04:00 AMWill scandal at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute cause big damage? Modern Healthcare, by Caroline Hudson; 1/29/24Allegations of data manipulation in Dana-Farber Cancer Institute's research has sparked intense scrutiny of a long-revered pillar in cancer treatment and put its once-sparkling reputation into question. ... Retaining Dana-Farber's long-term standing and preserving its bottom line will depend on how fast the institute moves to control the fallout from a scandal that has made national headlines, marketing and risk management experts said.
Criteria for enrollment of patients with COPD in palliative care trials: A systematic review
01/30/24 at 04:00 AMCriteria for enrollment of patients with COPD in palliative care trials: A systematic reviewJ Pain Symptom Manage, by Natalia Smirnova, Allison V Lange, Amanda Glickman, Kristen Desanto, Cara L McDermott , Donald R Sullivan, David B Bekelman, Dio Kavalieratos; 1/25/24Context: Use of palliative care interventions in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) has increased in recent years and inclusion criteria used to identify patients with COPD appropriate for palliative care vary widely. We evaluated the inclusion criteria to identify ways to improve enrollment opportunities for patients with COPD.
Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation Unveils Groundbreaking research by PFF scholars
01/29/24 at 04:00 AMGroundbreaking research by PFF scholarsPulminary Fibrosis Foundation; 1/22/24The Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation (PFF), the nation’s leading pulmonary fibrosis research, advocacy, and education organization has announced five awardees for the 2023 cycle of PFF Scholars who will receive funding for their cutting-edge research. ... “The most recent PFF Scholars class is tackling some of the most urgent questions about pulmonary fibrosis,” said Scott Staszak, PFF Chief Operating Officer. “Our goal is to accelerate the Scholars’ research and support them in securing more substantial grants for their impactful work.”
Engaging forensic psychiatry patients in health-care decision making
01/27/24 at 03:35 AMEngaging forensic psychiatry patients in health-care decision makingThe Lancet - Psychiatry, by Junqiang Zhao, Helen Bolshaw-Walker, N Zoe Hilton; 1/15/24The forensic psychiatric system is a pivotal intersection between the criminal justice and psychiatry systems. When individuals commit criminal acts and are found not criminally responsible for their actions due to mental illness, or unfit to stand trial, they often receive psychiatric care in specialised hospitals or units. The aim of these facilities is not punitive, but restorative—to promote the recovery and successful reintegration of patients into communities.
The Better Care Plan: a blueprint for improving America's healthcare system
01/27/24 at 03:30 AMThe Better Care Plan: a blueprint for improving America's healthcare systemHealth Affairs Scholar, by Stephen M Shortell, John S Toussaint, George C Halvorson, Jon M Kingsdale, Richard M Scheffler, Allyson Y Schwartz, Peter A Wadsworth, Gail Wilensky; 7/23The United States falls far short of its potential for delivering care that is effective, efficient, safe, timely, patient-centered, and equitable. We put forward the Better Care Plan, an overarching blueprint to address the flaws in our current system. The plan calls for continuously improving care, moving all payers to risk-adjusted prospective payment, and creating national entities for collecting, analyzing, and reporting patient safety and quality-of-care outcomes data. A number of recommendations are made to achieve these goals.Publisher note: From "The Best of Health Affairs Scholar 2023".
Chatbot performance in defining and differentiating palliative care, supportive care, hospice care
01/27/24 at 03:25 AMChatbot performance in defining and differentiating palliative care, supportive care, hospice careJ Pain Symptom Manage, by Min Ji Kim, Sonal Admane, Yuchieh Kathryn Chang, Kao-Swi Karina Shih, Akhila Reddy, Michael Tang, Maxine De La Cruz, Terry Pham Taylor, Eduardo Bruera, David Hui; 1/24We evaluated the accuracy, comprehensiveness, reliability, and readability of three AI platforms in defining and differentiating "palliative care," "supportive care," and "hospice care." We identified important concerns regarding the accuracy, comprehensiveness, reliability, and readability of outputs from AI platforms.
Navigating stress in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit among parents of children with severe neurological impairment
01/27/24 at 03:20 AMNavigating stress in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit among parents of children with severe neurological impairmentJ Pain Symptom Manage, by Jori F. Bogetz, MD; Justin Yu, MD, MS; Ellie Oslin, BA; Krysta S. Barton, PhD, MPH; Joyce P. Yi-Frazier, PhD; Robert Scott Watson, MD, MPH; Abby R. Rosenberg, MD, MA, MS; 12/23This qualitative study of 15 parents of children with severe neurological impairment highlights various ways parents and family caregivers navigate stress in the pediatric intensive care unit, including both self-activation and letting go, with the most reported practices being advocating for their child and being supported by compassionate clinicians.
Early and often: Promoting early integration of pediatric palliative care for seriously ill children with cancer
01/27/24 at 03:15 AMEarly and often: Promoting early integration of pediatric palliative care for seriously ill children with cancerCurr Probl Cancer, by Sara Taub, Robert Macauley; 10/23Pediatric palliative care, despite substantial overlap with its adult counterpart, is also distinct in some ways. Serious illness and comorbidities are less common in children, for whom there is a stronger presumption toward aggressive treatment. This, along with impressive cure rates for pediatric cancer, can help explain why children typically survive for a longer period of time following initial palliative care consultation. ... Several barriers to early integration exist, however, including misperceptions that palliative care constitutes "giving up" and concerns about potential role confusion with the primary team. By directly addressing these misperceptions and challenges, it is possible for palliative care and oncology to work in constructive partnerships that will benefit children with cancer and their families.
Grief training in palliative care fellowships
01/27/24 at 03:10 AMGrief training in palliative care fellowshipsJournal of Pain & Symptom Management, by Sara A. Barlow, MD; Meghan Price, MD; Christopher A. Jones, MD; Carl Pieper, DrPH; Anthony N. Galanos, MD; 1/24No prior study has assessed grief and bereavement curriculum in Hospice and Palliative Medicine (HPM) fellowship programs in the United States. ... Most palliative care programs were academic (74%) and had four or fewer fellows (85%). 90% devoted a minority (0%–10%) of their curriculum to grief and bereavement training. Most programs reported at least some program-led grief and bereavement programming (69%); however, 53% endorsed that fellows are not very or not at all involved in this programming.
Top read articles: Quality versus quantity of life: Beyond the dichotomy
01/27/24 at 03:05 AMTop read articles: Quality versus quantity of life: Beyond the dichotomyPalliative Medicine Reports, by Ariel Dempsey, John Mulder; 3/23A restrictive and dichotomous question has become the primary approach in many goals of care discussions. Is the primary goal of care quantity of life through aggressive therapy or quality of life through comfort care and hospice?Publisher note: While a little dated, this was part of a "top read in 2023" email.
Saturday Newsletters
01/27/24 at 03:00 AMSaturday NewslettersResearch literature is the focus of Saturday newsletters - enjoy!
The hospice patients using their final days to make a lasting difference
01/23/24 at 04:00 AM
Journal of Aid-in-Dying Medicine
01/20/24 at 04:00 AMJournal of Aid-in-Dying MedicineAmerican Clinicians Academy on Medical Aid in Dying has begun a new journal; 12/23.The Journal of Aid-in-Dying Medicine is an independent, peer-reviewed journal focused on the clinical aspects of aid-in-dying care in the United States. Articles published in the Journal cover a wide range - from academically-detailed investigations to editorials and review articles, from poetry to photography/art. Authors will include clinicians ranging from doctors to doulas, pharmacists to chaplains, nurses to trained end-of-life volunteers.
Live discharge of hospice patients with Alzheimer’s Disease and related dementias: A systematic review
01/20/24 at 03:35 AMLive discharge of hospice patients with Alzheimer’s Disease and related dementias: A systematic reviewAm J Hosp Palliat Care, by Stephanie P Wladkowski, Cara L Wallace, Kathryn Coccia, Rebecca C Hyde, Leslie Hinyard, Karla T Washington; 2/24Hospice is intended to promote the comfort and quality of life of dying patients and their families. When patients are discharged from hospice prior to death (ie, experience a "live discharge"), care continuity is disrupted. This systematic review summarizes the growing body of evidence on live discharge among hospice patients with Alzheimer's Disease and related dementias (ADRD), a clinical subpopulation that disproportionately experiences this often burdensome care transition.
Improving the value of serious illness care
01/20/24 at 03:30 AMImproving the value of serious illness careInnov Aging, by Brystana Kaufman; 12/23My Health and Aging Policy Fellowship placement with CMMI provides an opportunity to learn about the current policies impacting palliative care payment and process for developing new models. Palliative and hospice care has been one of the fasting growing health services in the U.S. and the VA over the past decade. Although Medicare’s hospice benefit requires a 6-months life expectancy, palliative care may be appropriate for seriously ill individuals depending on their clinical and psychosocial needs...
Medical marijuana for pain management in hospice care as a complementary approach to scheduled opioids: A single arm study
01/20/24 at 03:25 AMMedical marijuana for pain management in hospice care as a complementary approach to scheduled opioids: A single arm studyAm J Hosp Palliat Care, by Theodore Zanker, Joseph Sacco, James Prota, Michelle Palma, Kyoung A Viola Lee, Ruixiao Rachel Wang, Yixuan Liang, James Cunningham, Mona Mackary, Polina Ovchinnikova; 12/23Combination medical cannabis/opioid therapy showed statistically significant pain relief and may have the potential for reducing opioid dose and mitigating opioid toxicity, offering a safe pain management alternative to opioids alone for patients in end-of-life care settings, and warrants further investigation in larger controlled trials.
Mobile application–based communication facilitation platform for family members of critically ill patients: A randomized clinical trial
01/20/24 at 03:20 AMMobile application–based communication facilitation platform for family members of critically ill patients: A randomized clinical trialJAMA Network, by Christopher E. Cox, MD, MPH; Deepshikha C. Ashana, MD, MBA, MS; Isaretta L. Riley, MD, MPH; Maren K. Olsen, PhD; David Casarett, MD; Krista L. Haines, DO; Yasmin Ali O’Keefe, MD; Mashael Al-Hegelan, MD, MBA; Robert W. Harrison, MD; Colleen Naglee, MD; Jason N. Katz, MD, MHS; Hongqiu Yang, PhD; Elias H. Pratt, MD; Jessie Gu, MD; Katelyn Dempsey, MPH; Sharron L. Docherty, RN, PNP, PhD; Kimberly S. Johnson, MD; 1/24Can a mobile application–based primary palliative care intervention targeting intensive care unit (ICU) physicians and family members improve unmet palliative care needs overall, and are there different outcomes by race? Findings suggest that a mobile application is a promising primary palliative care intervention for ICU clinicians that directly addresses the limited supply of palliative care specialists.
Nurse and social worker palliative telecare team and quality of life in patients with COPD, heart failure, or interstitial lung disease: The ADAPT randomized clinical trial
01/20/24 at 03:15 AMNurse and social worker palliative telecare team and quality of life in patients with COPD, heart failure, or interstitial lung disease: The ADAPT randomized clinical trialJAMA Network, by David B. Bekelman, MD, MPH; William Feser, MS; Brianne Morgan, BSN; Carolyn H. Welsh, MD; Elizabeth C. Parsons, MD; Grady Paden, MD; Anna Baron, PhD; Brack Hattler, MD; Connor McBryde, MD; Andrew Cheng, MD; Allison V. Lange, MD; David H. Au, MD, MS; 1/16/24Can a nurse and social worker palliative telecare team improve quality of life in outpatients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), heart failure (HF), and interstitial lung disease (ILD)? For adults with COPD, HF, or ILD at high risk of hospitalization and death and poor quality of life, a nurse and social worker palliative telecare team demonstrated clinically meaningful improvements in quality of life at 6 months.Publisher note: JAMA Network published two palliative care clinical trials in this issue (1: Default palliative care consultation for seriously ill hospitalized patients: A pragmatic cluster randomized trial, and 2: Nurse and social worker palliative telecare team and quality of life in patients with COPD, heart failure, or interstitial lung disease: The ADAPT randomized clinical trial). There is also an editorial on both of these articles: A tale of 2 palliative care trials: Developing sustainable and transferable models by Ashwin A. Kotwal, MD, MS; Lauren J. Hunt, RN, PhD; Alexander K. Smith, MD, MS, MPH, and an audio interview with Alexander K. Smith, MD, MS, MPH, Patient-centered palliative care.
Default palliative care consultation for seriously ill hospitalized patients: A pragmatic cluster randomized trial
01/20/24 at 03:10 AMDefault palliative care consultation for seriously ill hospitalized patients: A pragmatic cluster randomized trialJAMA Network, by Katherine R. Courtright, MD, MS; Vanessa Madden, BSc; Brian Bayes, MS, MBMI; Marzana Chowdhury, PhD; Casey Whitman, MS; Dylan S. Small, PhD; Michael O. Harhay, PhD; Suzanne Parra, RN; Elizabeth Cooney-Zingman, MPH; Mary Ersek, RN, PhD; Gabriel J. Escobar, MD; Sarah H. Hill, PhD; Scott D. Halpern, MD, PhD; 1/16/24Does ordering palliative care by default (allowing opt-out) increase consultation and improve clinical outcomes? Default palliative care consult orders did not reduce length of stay for older inpatients with advanced chronic illnesses, but improved the rate and timing of consultation and some end-of-life care processes.Publisher note: JAMA Network published two palliative care clinical trials in this issue (1: Default palliative care consultation for seriously ill hospitalized patients: A pragmatic cluster randomized trial, and 2: Nurse and social worker palliative telecare team and quality of life in patients with COPD, heart failure, or interstitial lung disease: The ADAPT randomized clinical trial). There is also an editorial on both of these articles: A tale of 2 palliative care trials: Developing sustainable and transferable models by Ashwin A. Kotwal, MD, MS; Lauren J. Hunt, RN, PhD; Alexander K. Smith, MD, MS, MPH, and an audio interview with Alexander K. Smith, MD, MS, MPH, Patient-centered palliative care.
Processes and lessons learned in establishing the Palliative Care Research Cooperative's Qualitative Data Repository in Serious Illness and Palliative Care
01/20/24 at 03:05 AMProcesses and lessons learned in establishing the Palliative Care Research Cooperative's Qualitative Data Repository in Serious Illness and Palliative CareOSF Preprints, by Salimah H. Meghani, Kim Mooney-Doyle, Amber Barnato, Kathryn Colborn, Riley Gillette, Krista Harrison, Pam Hinds, Dessi Kirilova, Kathleen Knafl, Dena Schulman-Green, Kathryn Pollak, Christine S. Ritchie, Jean Kutner, and Sebastian Karcher; 12/23Data sharing is increasingly an expectation in health research since implementation of the National In-stitutes of Health Data Management and Sharing Policy. Qualitative studies are not exempt from this data sharing requirement. Recognizing this trend, the Palliative Care Research Cooperative Group (PCRC) re-alized the value of creating a de-identified qualitative data repository to complement its existing de-identified quantitative data repository.
Saturday Newsletters
01/20/24 at 03:00 AMSaturday NewslettersResearch literature is the focus of Saturday newsletters - enjoy!
Addressing 10 myths about pediatric palliative care
01/13/24 at 03:40 AMAddressing 10 myths about pediatric palliative careAM J Hosp Palliat Care, by Kim Sadler, PhD, BSN; Saadiya Khan, MD; Khaled AlGhamdi, MD; Hamad Hussain Alyami, MSN; Lori Nancarrow, MSN; 2/24With advances in biomedical sciences, a growing number of conditions affecting children have evolved from being considered life-limiting to almost chronic diseases. However, improvements in survival rates often come at a cost of increased medical complexity and lengthy hospitalizations, which can be associated with a poorer quality of life. This is where pediatric palliative care (PPC) can play a significant role. PPC is a specialty of healthcare that focuses on the prevention and relief of suffering in children with serious conditions.
Decision-making for hospitalized incarcerated patients lacking decisional capacity
01/13/24 at 03:35 AMDecision-making for hospitalized incarcerated patients lacking decisional capacityJAMA Network, by Sarah Batbold, BS; Jennifer D. Duke, MD; Kirsten A. Riggan, MA, MS; Erin S. DeMartino, MD; 12/23How does decision-making occur for hospitalized incarcerated persons lacking decisional capacity? In this qualitative study of documentation for 43 hospitalized incarcerated persons without decisional capacity, prison employees appeared to have been involved in decisions for half of the admissions, including participating in family meetings and being asked to authorize invasive procedures.