Literature Review

Effectiveness and impact of telehealth-integrated palliative care for persons living with dementia and their caregiversTelemedicine & e-Health; by Brooke Worster, Lizabeth Kaminoff, Amina Mason, Laura Pontiggia, Kayla Madden, Mackenzie Kemp, Amanda Guth, Nina Diamond, Allison Herens, Kristin Rising, Jeannette Kates; 12/25 In 2024, an estimated 6.9 million Americans aged 65 and older were living with Alzheimer’s disease (AD), the most common form of dementia. Palliative care (PC) can improve quality of life (QOL) and reduce nonbeneficial care, yet persons living with dementia (PLWD) remain underserved. The intervention group [in this study] received up to two telehealth visits with a PC specialist, the patient (if able), and a caregiver (if participating). The intervention group had significantly fewer emergency department visits and hospitalizations but no differences in QOL or caregiver burden.

“Existential risk” – Why scientists are racing to define consciousness WDC TV News; by WDC TV News Staff; 2/1/26 As artificial intelligence continues to advance and ethical concerns grow alongside it, scientists say the need to understand consciousness has reached a critical point. In a new review published in Frontiers in Science, researchers warn that progress in AI and neurotechnology is moving faster than scientific understanding of consciousness. This gap, they argue, could lead to serious ethical problems if it is not addressed. The authors say explaining how consciousness emerges is now an urgent scientific and moral priority. A clearer understanding could eventually make it possible to develop scientific methods for detecting consciousness. That breakthrough would have far-reaching consequences ...

Critical illness versus end-of-life conversations: A novel curriculum for enhancing resident physician communication skillsJournal of Pain & Symptom Management; by Kristin A Juhasz, Luke Rosielle, Sohale Shakoor, Kristina Damisch, Brad King, Troy King, Megan Kammerer; 12/25End-of-life (EOL) discussions are of utmost importance to emergency medicine physicians, and residency programs vary in their training on this subject, despite being an Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) requirement. During two yearly sessions, emergency medicine residents received training on end-of-life discussions. Each session included a seminar on how to approach the delivery of difficult news to patients and families and how to engage them in conversation. Our novel curriculum increased self-reported confidence in discussing EOL issues, especially among first- and second-year emergency medicine resident physicians. Training and experience with EOL conversations not only helps residents, but ultimately benefits patients and their families.

Caregiving activities and activity-limiting pain among African American caregiversJournal of Pain and Symptom Management; by Martha Abshire Saylor, Janiece L Taylor, Yifan Liu, Wonkyung Jung, Erin M Spaulding, Katherine A Ornstein; 1/26African American caregivers disproportionately engage in high-intensity caregiving. Pain experiences of African Americans may interfere with caregiving and overall health, but little is known about the associations of caregiving activities and activity-limiting pain among African Americans. [Findings] underscore the importance of the intersection of race, caregiving, and pain.

Dementia care research and psychosocial factorsAlzheimer's & Dementia; by Bora Nam, Daren Huang, Hye-Won Shin, Eun Jeong Lee, Nicole Phan, Stacy W Yun, Van Ta Park; 12/25Older Korean adults traditionally engage in indirect communication and are uncomfortable with topics such as advance care planning and treatment options for health conditions such as Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (ADRD). The overarching goal of a national, culturally tailored, bilingual (English, Korean) community engagement project called, Koreans Invested in Making Caregivers Health Important (KIMCHI), is to educate and promote community discussions on aging and caregiving topics, such as advanced care planning/directives among older Korean Americans with ADRD and their caregivers. High satisfaction was reported, with 96.1% of participants expressing overall satisfaction, 90.7% learned something new about advanced directives, 94.1% found the presentations culturally relevant and applicable, and 76% expressed interest in learning more about ADRD.

Evaluating palliative care needs in patients with advanced non-malignant chronic conditions: An umbrella review of needs assessment tools Healthcare; by Chrysovalantis Karagkounis, Stephen Connor, Danai Papadatou, Thalia Bellali; 12/24/25 Patients with advanced non-malignant chronic conditions experience illness burdens and palliative care needs comparable to those of oncology patients, yet palliative care is often introduced late. Identifying individuals with potential palliative care needs is complex, and although multiple tools exist, the most appropriate approach for assessing needs in this population remains unclear. This umbrella review aimed to identify and evaluate tools used to systematically assess palliative care in adults with advanced non-malignant chronic conditions, with a specific focus on their content, structure, and psychometric properties.

"The lack of preparation compounds provider grief": Results from a needs assessment on grief training delivered to pediatric residentsClinical Pediatrics; by Erin Hickey, Erica L Jamro; 12/25Educational interventions to prepare pediatric residents to care for grieving people are rare.  Pediatric residents completed a survey conducted from March to April 2022 that assessed their experience, attitudes, skills, and knowledge of organizational support related to caring for grieving patients and families.  Despite improvements in competence with delivering difficult news with years in residency ... , only 35.7% felt competent by PGY3/4 [post-graduate year 3]. Only 19.5% of residents overall believe adequate grief support exists within their training program. Opportunities for residents to receive formal grief training are inadequate.

Palliative care staff attitudes toward music therapy for hospitalized adult patientsAmerican Journal of Hospice & Palliative Medicine; by Katherine A. Carney, Rachel M. Wiste, Susanne M. Cutshall, Christina Wood, Rachel C. Gentes, Brianna E. Larsen, Nana A. Tiwaa, Amelia E. Tetlie, Regina M. Mackey; 12/25There is emerging evidence that music therapy (MT) is an effective tool within palliative care to manage patients’ complex needs. This performance improvement project aimed to assess palliative care staff members’ attitudes toward the current utilization of MT within the institution’s hospital-based interdisciplinary practices. Top reasons for MT referral were psychosocial support, pain and symptom management, and coping. The most common symptom-focused indications were anxiety, mood, and existential distress. In this single-institution performance improvement project, staff attitudes were highly favorable toward MT for palliative care patients. MT is utilized for a variety of reasons, can be highly effective for improving patients’ quality of life, and may also be of direct benefit to staff.

Integrating compassion and policy: Highlights from IAHPC Advocacy, 2025Palliative Medicine in Practice: by Katherine Irene PettusIn 2025, the International Association for Hospice and Palliative Care (IAHPC) advanced advocacy for palliative care as an ethical, clinical, and human rights imperative. As a non-state actor in official relations with the World Health Organization (WHO), the association worked across policy, faith, and professional domains to integrate palliative care into universal health coverage frameworks. This report summarizes IAHPC’s global activities from February to November 2025, including engagement at the 78th World Health Assembly (WHA), collaboration with WHO and the International Narcotics Control Board (INCB), the launch of the Leadership and Advocacy Development (LEAD2) program, and new interfaith and educational initiatives.Assistant Editor's note: As I peruse peer reviewed journals to bring you relevant and current summaries of research, I am amazed at the large number of articles published now about palliative care. It wasn't this way just a few years ago. As a long-time hospice and palliative care nurse, I am delighted to see the ground swell of interest in the principles, the need, the value, and the effectiveness of palliative care. I feel like 'We Have Arrived' (finally!). Kudos to all of you who have worked tirelessly over many years to educate professionals and the public at large, about palliative care and its virtues. I know we are not done; there is more to do. But we've come a long way baby!

Video conversation aids to assist in goals-of-care discussions with older adults in a medical setting: A systematic reviewAmerican Journal of Hospice & Palliative Care; Ashna S Karpe, Mokunfayo O Fajemisin, Stephanie Martinez Ugarte, Lara Ouellette, Martin L Blakely, Gina H Khraish, Shreyans V Sanghvi, Min J Kwak, Jessica L Lee, Lillian S Kao, Thaddeus J Puzio; 12/25Goals-of-care (GOC) discussions align medical treatment with older adults' preferences, yet are hindered by communication barriers, provider discomfort, and misinformation. Video-based decision aids improve understanding and reduce decision conflict, though data on their use in older populations remain limited. Video variability and differences in measured outcomes limited comparisons and generalizability. Video-based decision aids show promise for improving knowledge and aligning treatment preferences. Further studies are needed to investigate the impact of video-based decision aids on GOC conversations in older adults in acute care settings.

Expanding the boundaries of palliative care: Diseases of the nervous system and survival prognosis in home-based programsAmerican Journal of Hospice & Palliative Medicine; by Mônica Isaura Corrêa, Igor de Oliveira Claber Siqueira, Sonia  Souza, Eduardo Bruera, Ana Paula Drummond-Lage; 12/25Home-based palliative care (HBPC) is increasingly recognized as an essential strategy for managing patients with non-oncologic and life-limiting conditions. However, prognostic factors influencing survival in this population remain underexplored. Diseases of the nervous system (DNS) were the most frequent referral diagnoses [in this study] (32.3%). Patients with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias demonstrated longer survival than those with other DNS or no DNS diagnoses ... While PPS [Palliative Performance Scale] remains a useful tool, its discriminatory capacity was modest, underscoring the need for refined prognostic models in non-oncologic palliative care.