Literature Review

In the spirit of Ramadan: Diverse access to palliative care Medscape UK, by Dr. Mohammed Sattar; 4/4/24 St. Gemma’s Hospice hosted their first ever Ramadan community iftar in Moortown, Leeds on March 19, with almost 100 guests in attendance. For me, this was a historic moment. This iftar was about creating a sense of community. ... [I've] seen the visionary leadership that is provided by St. Gemma’s senior team, ... taking careful consideration of what hospice and palliative care services should look like in an ever-changing Leeds population. The team members ask themselves some difficult questions about how to become an inclusive service for all and no faiths. The iftar, the sunset meal when Muslims break their daily fast, was a testament to that. ...

Killeigh mother and daughter fundraiser surpasses €10k Offaly Independent, by Geraldine Grennan; 3/28/24 A fundraiser organised by a Killeigh mother and daughter to raise money for the Irish Hospice Foundation has passed the €10,000 mark this week – despite setting an initial target of just €500.Arlene Guilfoyle Beatty from Fenter Lane in Killeigh embarked on the challenge of walking 100 miles for the month of March in memory of her beloved husband Donal, who was diagnosed with a very aggressive form of lymphoma in August 2021 and passed away seven months later. Editor's Note: €10,000 = over $16,625 US dollars

Eye donation in palliative and hospice care settings: Patient views and experiencesBMJ Open Ophthalmology, by Tracy Long-Sutehall, Mike Bracher, Banyana Cecile Madi-Segwagwe, Michelle Myall, Adam Hurlow, Professor Christina Faull, Clare Rayment, Jane Wale, Sarah Mollart, Jill Short, Erika Lipscombe, Emma Winstanley; 11/22There is a global shortage of donated eye tissue for use in sight saving and sight restoring operations such as corneal transplantation. ... Patients who die in palliative and hospice care settings could potentially donate eye tissue, however, the option of eye donation is not routinely raised in end-of-life planning discussions. ... It is imperative that patients who would want to be a donor are identified and assessed for eligibility for donation as part of high-quality end of life care.Publisher's note: Organ and tissue donation are interesting topics often overlooked in hospice and palliative care settings. I wrote a brief blog, have presented on, and encourage more discussion of this topic.

Empowering young voices: Navigating the complexities of minors in healthcare decisionsEuropean Journal of Pediatrics, by J Peter de Winter, Jaan Toelen, Gregorio Paolo Milani; 3/24The inclusion of children in healthcare decisions is a crucial element that requires attention to ethical, legal, and psychological considerations. Balancing autonomy with welfare interests and parental involvement is a significant challenge in pediatric healthcare ethics.

Health care worker education for palliative care in Africa: Narrative ReviewAmerican Journal of Hospice and Palliative Medicine, by Claire Beecher, MD; David Holmes, MD; 3/14.The demand for palliative care for terminally ill patients is rising globally. This review examines the potential of health worker education to enhance palliative care in Africa... The integration of palliative care into public health systems is important for the sustainability of end-of-life care for terminally ill patients in Africa and around the world.Publisher's note: One cannot help but be reminded of the important work of the Foundation for Hospices in Sub-Saharan Africa. The need remains...

Roscommon nurse sets out on epic cycle to Australia Roscommon Herald; 3/10/24 A 25-year-old County Roscommon nurse set out on his 23,000km cycle from his home in Arigna to Australia this morning, Sunday, March 10th. Fergal Guihen began his 23,000km cycle from Roscommon to Australia this morning. It will take him a total of 11 months to complete the challenge. Fergal, a general nurse at Sligo General Hospital, will reach Australia in February of 2025. In the process, he’s raising funds for  Mayo Roscommon Hospice Foundation.Editor's Note: 23,000km = 14,300 miles. This translates to approximately 5.12 bike rides between New York City and Los Angeles. 

The impact of early palliative care interventions on the utilization of medical care resources for end-of-life patientsResearch Square (not peer reviewed; under review by BMC Palliative Care), by Chia-Chia Lin, Tsing-Fen Ho, Chang-Hung Lin, Nu-Man Tsai Tsai, Yu-Hung Kuo, Ju-Huei Chien; 2/12/24(Taiwan) Patients at the end-of-life who received palliative care experienced a reduced incidence of aggressive medical interventions before death. These encompassed activities such as stays in the intensive care unit, cardiopulmonary resuscitation, endotracheal intubation, respiratory ventilator support, and blood transfusions.

Leadership core competencies in palliative care — Recommendations from the European Association for Palliative Care: Delphi StudyJournal of Palliative Medicine, by Olivia Parczyk, Gerrit Frerich, Martin Loučka, Raymond Voltz, Sheila Payne; 2/14/24The eight domains [of leadership: research, advocacy and media, communication, teamwork, project management, organizational learning and sustainability, leading change, and personal traits] provide evidence for teaching of leadership competencies in palliative care. We recommend that exploring, identifying, and integrating leadership competencies in palliative care are given more attention in educational curricula and in training interventions.

End-of-life care for children: making it possible to die at homeNursing Times, by Jill Davies; 2/5/24UK - A children’s community nursing team collaborated with an adult palliative care urgent-response service to provide 24-hour end-of-life care for paediatric patients. This made dying at home a realistic option for these patients, which had not previously been the case.

The power of the patient’s voice: Enhancing end-of-life careMedriva, by Ayanna Amadi; 1/31/24End-of-life care is a delicate and complex area of healthcare, requiring a balanced blend of clinical expertise, emotional sensitivity, and communication skills. The End-of-Life Essentials team at Flinders University has created a stirring video titled ‘The Patient’s Perspective,’ focusing on the importance of patient input in improving end-of-life care. The video presents a moving narrative from the vantage point of a patient dealing with serious illness, highlighting the profound impact of healthcare staff interactions.

Ethical issues in pain and palliationCurr Opin Anaesthesiol, by Marco Cascella, Alessandro Laudani, Giuliana Scarpati, Ornella Piazza; 1/30/24Summary: Palliative care in the ICU should involve a multidisciplinary team, to mitigate patients suffering and futility. Providing spiritual support in the ICU is an important aspect of holistic patient care too. Increasingly sophisticated tools for diagnosing and treating pain, as those involving artificial intelligence, might favour disparities in access, cause informed consent problems, and surely, they need prudence and reproducibility. Pain clinicians worldwide continue to face the ethical dilemma of prescribing opioids for patients with chronic noncancer pain. Balancing the need for effective pain relief with the risk of opioid misuse, addiction, and overdose is a very controversial task.

Navigating compassion: A comprehensive review of palliative care in respiratory medicineCureus (India), by Ulhas Jadhav, Jay Bhanushali, Arman Sindhu, Bingu Shiv Kiran Reddy; 12/23.Palliative care has emerged as a crucial aspect of comprehensive healthcare, particularly in respiratory medicine. This review navigates the intricate landscape of palliative care in the context of respiratory diseases, including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), and lung cancer.