Literature Review

Over a quarter of adolescents, young adults with cancer who want to die at home do not Healio; by Jennifer Byrne; 2/20/25 More than one-fourth of adolescents and young adults with cancer who wished to die at home did not attain this goal, according to research published in JAMA Network Open. Researchers conducted a retrospective cohort study that included adolescents and young adults (AYA; age range, 12 to 19 years) with cancer who died between 2003 and 2019. The cohort included patients treated at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Kaiser Permanente Northern California or Kaiser Permanente Southern California. ... Healio spoke with Odejide about the rationale for the study, the importance of the findings, and strategies oncologists can employ to ensure more goal-concordant end-of-life care for AYA patients with advanced cancers. [Click here for Helio's discussion with the lead researcher, Oreofe O. Odejide, MD, MPH, associate professor of medicine at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.]  Editor's note: Examine this JAMA article, which we posted in our Saturday Research issue, 1/18/25: "Preferred and actual location of death in adolescents and young adults with cancer."

People with depression develop long-term health conditions quicker than those without, study finds McKnights Home Care; by Kristen Fischer; 2/13/25 Adults who have experienced depression develop long-term physical conditions about 30% faster than those without depression, a new study finds. Authors of the report said depression needs to be viewed as a “whole body” condition, with treatment approaches that address mental and physical health. The report was published Thursday [2/13/25] in PLOS Medicine. Investigators evaluated the association between depression and the rate at which conditions accrued in midlife and older age.

Access tops list of Americans' healthcare concerns: 4 survey findings Becker's Clinical Leadership; by Erica Carbajal; 2/5/25A quarter of Americans rank healthcare access and affordability as the top public health priority they want government leaders to focus on, according to poll findings from Gallup and Emory University's Rollins School of Public Health. ... Four key findings:

Researchers outline new research priorities in neuropalliative care UNC Health and UNC School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC; by Winnie K. Lau, MD and David Y. Hwang, MD2/7/25... An emerging field, termed “neuropalliative care,” has taken shape over the past few years to help provide impactful, holistic care for patients with serious neurological disease. And now, experts in the field are seeking ways to improve the overall wellbeing of their patients and loved ones through the power of research. ... A special communication in JAMA Neurology, first-authored by Winnie K. Lau, MD, a neurocritical care physician and associate professor of neurology and senior-authored by David Y. Hwang, MD, professor of neurology and division chief of neurocritical care, describes needed research that can help advance patient care, including:

Palliative care slashes ED visits, hospitalizations in people living at home with dementia: study McKnights Long-Term Care News; by Kristen Fischer; 1/30/25 A program that provides palliative care to people with dementia and their caregivers lowered the number of emergency department visits and hospitalizations by approximately half in about a year, a new study shows. Those who benefitted the most from the Indiana Palliative Excellence in Alzheimer Care Efforts (IN-PEACE) initiative were Black people and those with lower incomes. A report detailing the findings was published in JAMA ... The 50% decrease in emergency department visits and hospitalizations among people who received the intervention shows that the program can keep some people with dementia out of the hospital, where they can develop complications and functional declines.

Grant renews funding for pain and aging center Cornell Chronicle; by Weill Cornell Medicine; 1/30/25 The Translational Research Institute for Pain in Later Life (TRIPLL), a New York City-based center to help older adults prevent and manage pain, has been awarded a five-year, $5 million renewal grant from the National Institute on Aging (NIA). ... The institute seeks to apply insights from psychology, sociology, economics and communications to develop and implement effective pain management techniques that are acceptable to and practical for older adults.

Up to $212,500 funding now available to researchers investigating health disparities CMS.gov - Health Equity - Grants & awards; Minority Research Grant Program; via email 1/21/25, retrieved from the internet 1/21/25 The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Office of Minority Health (CMS OMH) is pleased to release the Minority Research Grant Program (MRGP) 2025 Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO). This grant awards funding to health equity researchers at minority-serving institutions (MSIs) investigating health disparities and improving the health outcomes of minority populations.As a grantee, you will enhance your impact and visibility in the research community, support our mission to advance health equity, and join a prestigious group of awardees whose collective MRGP-funded research has been cited in more than 190 publications. CMS will award up to six grants, totaling up to $1,275,000, in 2025. Review the notice of funding opportunity CMS-1W1-25-001 and submit your application on grants.gov by April 1, 2025.

CMS Health Equity Data Book U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services - Office of Minority Health; by CMS Office of Minority Health; published December 2024, email notifications 1/15/25 One of the six pillars of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) 2023 Strategic Plan is to, “Advance health equity by addressing the health disparities that underlie our health system.” The CMS Office of Minority Health (OMH) aims to advance health equity by providing broader access to data about the state of health equity across CMS’ programs. This Data Book presents summary information on disparities within CMS programs as demonstrated by data related to prevalence. ... This Data Book is intended for use as a readily-available information source on health disparities within the Medicare, Medicaid, and the Health Insurance Marketplace populations. This Data Book is organized into five key sections – CMS at a Glance, Demographics, Chronic Conditions, Behavioral Health, and Social Determinants of Health – so that Data Book users can jump to the section most relevant to their data needs. Within each section, data are presented by each population type.

American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine Next Gen Scholars for Equity in Hospice and Palliative Medicine Program receives grant from Adtalem Global Education Foundation PR Newswire, Chicago, IL; by American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine (AAHPM); 12/30/24 The American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine (AAHPM) is grateful to receive support from the Adtalem Global Education Foundation for the Next Gen Scholars for Equity in Hospice and Palliative Medicine. The Foundation supports programs and partners like AAHPM that strengthen the healthcare workforce, expand access to quality education and address healthcare disparities. The Foundation's sole member is Adtalem Global Education, the number one provider of healthcare education in the U.S. In May 2023, led by the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Committee, AAHPM launched the inaugural Next Gen Scholars for Equity in Hospice and Palliative Medicine Program. This program was initiated as a response to the growing demand for HPM practitioners and the need to increase representation in the field. 

[Cure] Top palliative care stories from 2024 Cure; by Alex Biese; 12/28/24 This year, CURE® worked to provide education and insight that underscored the importance of palliative care in cancer treatment. Early integration of palliative care, whether through in-person visits, telehealth or ongoing emotional support, can make a significant difference in a patient's quality of life. Here are some of the top articles on the topic of palliative care from 2024.

Hospice study reveals contrasting views on managing dementia behaviors McKnights Long-Term Care News; by Donna Shryer; 12/20/24 A new study finds that healthcare providers and family caregivers often disagree on how best to manage dementia behaviors during end-of-life care. The research, published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, involved interviews with 23 hospice clinicians and 20 family caregivers. With dementia affecting 33% of adults over age 85 and now ranking as the primary diagnosis for Medicare hospice services, understanding these differing perspectives about managing dementia behaviors has become increasingly important. The study found that while both groups identified agitation as the most concerning behavioral symptom, they approached it from different angles. Clinicians primarily worried about physical safety risks, while family caregivers were more distressed by personality changes in their loved ones.

Palliative medicine for the community paramedic Journal of Emergency Medical Services (JEMS) - The Conscience of EMS; by Maurice Paquette; 12/17/24 The role of the paramedic is evolving. ... EMS has become a catch-all, a gateway into a somewhat—if not totally—fractured healthcare system. ... The landscape of healthcare is shifting as well. The pandemic, coupled with the realization of self-care, well-being, and mental health struggles has caused drastic reduction in the number of healthcare workers, and the amount of experience in skills that those healthcare workers carried with them. ... Over the past many years, we’ve seen a push for the idea of the community paramedic, as well as mobile healthcare. The establishment of a community paramedic program, especially in rural areas of the United States, would provide non-emergent care, under expanded scope and under the direction of a physician in the patient’s home.  According to a literature review in the International Journal of Paramedicine, the most common community paramedic program goals are to “aid patients in chronic disease management, reduce emergency department visits, reduce hospital admissions/readmissions, and reduce Healthcare costs.” Editor's note: Pair this with the article we posted yesterday, Characteristics of patients enrolled in hospice presenting to the emergency department.

Characteristics of patients enrolled in hospice presenting to the emergency department American Journal of Emergency Medicine; by Kayla P Carpenter, Fernanda Bellolio, Cory Ingram, Aaron B Klassen, Sarayna S McGuire, Alisha A Morgan, Aidan F Mullan, Alexander D Ginsburg; 12/9/24, online ahead of print Emergency Departments (EDs) frequently care for patients with life-limiting illnesses, with nearly 1 in 5 patients enrolled in hospice presenting to an ED during their hospice enrollment. This study investigates the reasons patients enrolled in hospice seek care in the ED, the interventions they receive, and their outcomes. ... Patients enrolled in hospice most frequently presented to the ED for trauma [36%; with 15% for pain, 12% for catheter/tube malfunction]. Most received laboratory studies and imaging. Nearly half of patients were admitted to the hospital and short-term mortality was high, particularly for patients enrolled in hospice for needs for ED care? Ie.,