Literature Review

Are you an organ donor? Here are some rule changes you may want to know WLIS-FM, Public Broadcasting System | National Public Radio, New York, NY; by Rob Stein; 10/28/26 The U.S. organ transplant system is making a controversial change to a long-standing rule that was designed to protect potential donors. The revision aims to boost donations and reduce errors. But critics worry that the move may endanger patient care. Under the change, the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network, which runs the transplant system, will relax a strict firewall between the doctors and nurses trying to save patients in the hospital and the transplantation team standing by to procure patients’ organs. 

People who choose to end their lives Global Issues | Inter Press Service, Portland, OR; opinion by Joseph Chamie; 10/20/26 People who choose to end their lives through voluntary assisted dying typically face terminal, incurable, or debilitating conditions that cause severe physical or psychological suffering. Research on requests for medical assistance in dying and euthanasia shows that most individuals seeking these options have advanced, irreversible illnesses or incurable, debilitating conditions that cause severe suffering or diminish their autonomy, dignity, or the ability to engage in meaningful activities. Despite becoming legally permitted in an increasing number of countries, voluntary assisted dying remains controversial. The debate centers on a fundamental tension between respecting personal autonomy and relieving suffering, on the one hand, and protecting human life, on the other.

Deep sourcing and sensitive multimedia reporting provide a rare, intimate look at medically assisted dying The Associated Press (AP); by Luis Andres Henao, Laura Bargfeld and Javier Arciga; 10/2/26As medically assisted death expands across the United States, AP delivered a deeply sourced and humane examination of the legal, moral and religious questions surrounding the contentious issue, told through people confronting those questions in their own lives. Global Religion reporter Luis Andres Henao examined state laws, court challenges and the history of medical aid in dying since the first U.S. law took effect in 1997. He interviewed doctors, bioethicists, faith leaders and legal experts, while seeking out voices on both sides of the debate. ... Together, the text, the photographs by Henao and the videos by Bargfeld and Arciga created an intimate, respectful package that made complicated questions of faith, disability rights, medical ethics and personal choice accessible through the experiences of those most directly affected.

A Florida social worker stole $68,000 from an Alzheimer’s patient, state says The Miami Herald | The Lawton Constitution; by David J. Neal; 9/28/26 What was in a social worker’s wallet? A Capital One card on which she made almost $100,000 worth of payments, West Palm Beach police say, by ripping off an Alzheimer’s patient and a dying patient under her care. In Palm Beach County court, Port St. Lucie’s Megan Bernat pleaded not guilty to criminal charges of exploitation of an elderly person and money laundering in the case involving the deceased patient. ... Professionally, Bernat didn’t bother to answer a Florida Department of Health administrative complaint detailing the charges in the Alzheimer patient’s case. So, the Board of Clinical Social Work, Marriage and Family Therapy and Mental Health Counseling revoked her license on Wednesday.

Sen. Baldwin demands investigation into veteran care failures at Tomah VAWXOW-19 ABC, Tomah, WI; by Terry Bell; 9/21/26 U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin is calling for an immediate investigation into serious allegations about the failure to care for veterans and unacceptable conditions at the Tomah VA Medical Center. Baldwin is asking Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary Doug Collins to conduct a full review of staffing levels, provider coverage, medication delays, hospice care and patient safety at the Tomah VA Hospital. She's also requesting the VA Office of the Inspector General conduct an independent investigation. Baldwin's office heard from several Tomah VA employees who outlined severe lapses in patient care at the hospital. The allegations include inadequate staffing contributing to falls, injuries, food choking incidents and other adverse patient outcomes. [View recent incident:  Former VA nurse charged with intentionally abusing hospice patient]

Nurse accused of ‘exorcism’ as nursing home resident’s 911 calls went unanswered for 34 minutes Yahoo!News; Olivia Richman; 9/12/26 A resident at a Pennsylvania nursing home called 911 at 2:53 a.m. and reported that a nurse was trying to kill people. Four calls and more than half an hour later, police finally reached the room. ... The grand jury report says the agency licensed practical nurse, Octavia Lasha Robinson, was standing over a hospice resident identified as E.B. when officers arrived on June 23, 2025. Robinson had her fingers pressed into the resident's mouth, while blood was visible on the resident's clothing and bedding and on items scattered around the room. The episode was described by witnesses as an attempt to drive demons from the resident. The report says Robinson repeatedly spoke about demonic possession as police took her into custody.

Sisters have doubts about cremated remains: ‘Where is my mama?’ ChicagoPublicMedia, Chicago, IL; by Cindy Hernandez; 8/28/26 Franquella and Marshawna Campbell hired Planet Green Cremations after their mother died earlier this year, only to later discover that the business was owned by Clark and Johanna Morgan, who are under investigation for improperly storing human remains. ... When sisters Franquella and Marshawna Campbell learned that the man who had picked up their mother’s body from hospice had been accused of mishandling human remains, they turned to the urn sitting on the table in their mother’s living room. They opened it and began to question everything. “Where is my mama?” Franquella Campbell, 40, asked over and over. 

Ethics of artificial intelligence prognostication in palliative care: perspectives from a national survey of palliative care physicians BMJ Supportive Palliative Care; by Ahmed Y Alasmar, Lauren Gunn-Sandell, Stacy M Fischer, Regina M Fink, Elizabeth Juarez-Colunga, Eric G Campbell, Matthew DeCamp; 8/2-/26, online ahead of print ... Although global consensus is emerging about the importance of ethical principles for artificial intelligence (AI), such as respecting autonomous choice, promoting patient well-being, reducing bias, trust, and more, little is known about how palliative care physicians perceive these issues. This study aims to improve understanding of palliative care physicians' perspectives about the ethics of AI-based prognostication. Conclusion: Palliative care physicians see the potential of AI-based prognostication to improve palliative care and also express ethical concerns. Implementation of AI requires context-specific ethical guidance responsive to palliative care, where relationships and communication are paramount.

Behind the scenes of AI-powered bereavement care Hospice News; by Holly Vossel; 7/21/26 Technology companies are exploring new ways of using artificial intelligence (AI) to strengthen bereavement support, but these evolutions have garnered concerns related to the ethical and emotional impacts. A few different types of AI platforms have developed in recent years that include services designed to allow families to access video or audio clips, photos and letters from a deceased loved one. Some AI technologies use these details to create a digital replica of the person for interaction. “First-person consent, given with capacity and ideally well before the end of life, is the only sound basis for AI,” Healy told Hospice News. “The ‘family agreed’ is not a substitute for the individual’s own consent to be reproduced. The ‘deepfake-style’ AI asset that could be used to impersonate someone. Editor's Note: The use of AI to develop ongoing impersonisations of the deceased person raises extreme ethical breaches and clinical concerns. 

Ask the expert: Who are hospital ethics consultants? Michigan State University; by Zach Phelps and Dalin Clark; 7/21/26Hospitals are places of incredible hope and healing, but they are also where some of life’s toughest decisions are made. When families and medical teams find themselves at a crossroads with no obvious right answer, trained experts can quietly help evaluate the options. Hospital ethics consultants don’t perform surgery or prescribe medication. Instead, they wield a different kind of superpower: the rare ability to bring insight and clarity to moments of deep uncertainty. When the best path forward isn’t on a medical chart, these guides step up to support families and healthcare teams.

Everyday ethics: Leave a legacy beyond material things Daily Times; by John C. Morgan; 7/15/26 Buildings and other structures don't last forever, but there are things we can do that will endure. Everyone wants to leave a legacy, something that outlasts themselves, whether a cause, offspring or project that embodies their future hopes. One of the more famous sentences left behind was graffiti from World War II, a doodle of a bald-headed man peering over a wall accompanied by the phrase “Kilroy Was Here.” It showed that American troops had been there. ... I’ve always found it hopeful, not morbid, to take walks through cemeteries to read the life stories of others. The few words inscribed on headstones represent the essentials, sometimes with an accompanying message the departed wants to leave others to remember. ...

After Nebraska sanctions and federal charges, Iowa nurse surrenders license Iowa Capital Dispatch; by Clark Kauffman; 7/7/26 Almost two years after the State of Nebraska revoked a nurse’s ability to practice there for posing a “significant risk to public safety,” Iowa’s Board of Nursing has agreed to accept the nurse’s surrender of her license to practice in Iowa. The decision by the Iowa board comes after Brandy Wicks, a registered nurse from Treynor, was accused of stealing patient medications from a hospital, a home-hospice program and at least two nursing homes, and after her indictment on 11 federal criminal charges.

A day in the life of a Mayo Clinic medical ethicist Healthcare Brew; by Cassie McGrath; 6/24/26 How should doctors handle end-of-life care or use new medical innovations like genetic technologies? How can they ensure they’re fairly and equally providing healthcare? How can providers build trust with patients? These are just a few of the big questions medical ethicists study and advise on. Richard Sharp, a professor of biomedical ethics at Rochester, Minnesota-based Mayo Clinic, is one of these professionals. For decades, he has been a bridge between patients and providers as well as advocates and innovators to ensure medical practices are safe and fair.