Literature Review

Keys to addressing ethical, moral distress in pediatric hospice Hospice News; by Holly Vossel; 5/6/24 Hospices may be under-prepared to navigate the complexities in end-of-life decisions among terminally ill children, as the ethical and moral considerations related to patient autonomy are vastly different for pediatric populations compared to adults. Ethical principles of autonomy vary in pediatric populations due to a number of factors, including a child’s age, developmental stage, cognitive capacity and their spiritual background and beliefs, according to Christy Torkildson, director at the Children’s Hospice and Palliative Care Coalition of California. 

MultiPlan, insurance giants sued over out-of-network rates Modern Healthcare; by Nona Tepper; 4/29/24 A rural health system sued technology company MultiPlan and eight of the country's largest insurance companies over alleged schemes to strongarm providers into accepting low out-of-network rates. At issue in the proposed class-action suit are MultiPlan's repricing tools, which allegedly rely on insurers' data to deflate their out-of-network reimbursement payments. 

Behind the stethoscope: Exploring nursing ethics Noozhawk, Santa Barbara County, by Green Shoot Media; 4/22/24 The American Nurses Association developed a Code of Ethics for Nurses in the 1950s. It has been revised over the years to respond to technological advances and changes in society and the nursing field. Gallup takes a poll every year asks how the public ranks various professions for having high honesty and ethics. For 22 straight years, nurses come in as the most respected in terms of honesty and ethics. In 2024, 78% of the poll takers perceived them as honest.

Black nurses advance bias suit over patients’ racial preferences Bloomberg Law, by Patrick Dorrian; 4/15/24 The US District Court for the Middle District of Florida rejected the argument of Good Shepherd Hospice Inc. and parent Chapters Health System Inc. that the two women failed to claim they experienced an adverse employment action as a result of the alleged discriminatory practice. It’s enough that the women say the scheme caused them to be passed over for work assignments, impacting them financially, the court said.

Fraudsters sentenced in scheme that distributed 7,600 phony nursing diplomas McKnights Home Care, by Adam Healy; 4/8/24Three individuals were sentenced for their role in distributing fraudulent diplomas and transcripts to thousands of nursing students in Florida, New York and New Jersey, the US Attorney’s Office disclosed last week. The registrar of Palm Beach School of Nursing in Lake Worth, FL, was sentenced to 78 months in federal prison followed by three years of supervised release, and was ordered to forfeit $861,672. The owner and operator of Success Nursing Review in Brooklyn, NY, was sentenced to 36 months in federal prison, three years of supervised release, fined $20,000 and ordered to forfeit $4,698,828.

Ethical issues abound in adoption of Artificial Intelligence in cancer care Oncology Nurse Advisor; 4/4/24There may be ethical barriers to the adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) into cancer care, according to a study published online March 28 in JAMA Network Open. Andrew Hantel, M.D., from the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, and colleagues evaluated oncologists’ views on the ethical domains of the use of AI in clinical care. The analysis included 204 survey responses from 37 states. ... “These findings suggest that the implementation of AI in oncology must include rigorous assessments of its effect on care decisions as well as decisional responsibility when problems related to AI use arise,” the authors write.

New documentary explores how Lower Moreland’s Terri Schiavo’s story captured the nation Delco.Today, by Tracey Romero; 4/3/24 Between Life & Death: Terri Schiavo’s Story, a new documentary about the right-to-die case of Lower Moreland Township native Terri Schiavo is streaming on Peacock, writes Brian Brant for People. Schiavo who lived in Florida with her husband lived in a persistent vegetative state for 15 years after experiencing cardiac arrest. The documentary explores the familial legal battle over whether or not Schiavo’s feeding tube should be removed.

Ethical conflicts: Making care decisions when the right choice isn't clear Medical Economics, by Jeff Bendix; 3/29/24 What should a physician do when their ethical training conflicts with the circumstances or needs of a particular situation or patient? ... Ethical battlegrounds are growing. [Dr. Melissa] Lucarelli’s experience epitomizes, in a small way, a problem with which doctors have grappled for as long as medicine has existed as a profession: what to do when their ethical training conflicts with the circumstances or needs of a particular situation or patient. That question has taken on new urgency in recent years due to several converging trends. 

Expanding the use of continuous sedation until death and physician-assisted suicide  The Journal of Medicine & Philosophy: A Forum for Bioethics and Philosophy of Medicine; by Samuel H Lipuma and Joesph P Demarco; 3/27/24 The controversy over the equivalence of continuous sedation until death (CSD) and physician-assisted suicide/euthanasia (PAS/E) provides an opportunity to focus on a significant extended use of CSD. 

Harvard Thinking: Facing death with dignityThe Harvard Gazette, podcast and transcript; moderated by Samantha Laine Perfas; 3/27/24In podcast episode, a chaplain, a bioethicist, and a doctor talk about end-of-life care.

Police identify 13 deaths at unlicensed Arlington, Mansfield group homes since 2022 Fort Worth Star-Telegram, by James Hartley; 3/14/24 At least 13 people have died since 2022 under the care of a woman who was running five unlicensed group homes in North Texas, police wrote in a warrant to search one of the homes. ... Regla “Su” Becquer, 49, was arrested Monday and charged with one count of abandoning or endangering an individual creating imminent danger of bodily injury. ... Police have said more charges are expected in their ongoing investigation. Search warrants obtained by the Star-Telegram, written by Detectives Krystallyne Robinson and Devon Coffer, show police believe the abuse was extensive.

'World's most ethical companies' list includes health systemsBecker's Hospital Review, by Kelly Gooch; 3/4/24Ethisphere Institute, a for-profit company that defines and measures corporate ethical standards, has released its 2024 list of the "world's most ethical companies," which includes health systems and other healthcare companies. This year's list recognizes 136 organizations "for their unwavering commitment to business integrity." Honorees span 20 countries and 44 industries, and include 15 first-time honorees and six organizations that have been on the list since its inception 18 years ago. [Click on the title's link for the] healthcare companies that made the 2024 list, along with their headquarters. ...

Survey: Nearly half of healthcare workers witness discrimination against patientsMcKnights Long-Term Care News, by Foster Stubbs; 2/20/24Healthcare workers (HCWs) are likely to witness discrimination in their workplaces, according to a new report from the Commonwealth Fund and the African American Research Collaborative. This can contribute to negative health outcomes for patients as well as emotional distress for both patients and healthcare workers.Editor's Note: What Policies and Procedures do you have in place for your hospice interdisciplinary teams,  volunteers, and non-clinical staff? What diversity education and competencies do you regularly require and update?