The human thread: Weaving human-centered leadership in health care into culture transformation
Nurse Leader; by Stephanie Lonzo, Lindsey Colangelo, Kay Kennedy, Lucy Lecler, Susan Campis; 3/26
A large community hospital embraced implementation of Human-Centered Leadership in Health Care by including leaders from every discipline in a hybrid-style leadership development program. After completing the program, the leaders participated in the development of a hospital-wide brand statement which served as a collective WHY for the organization. This statement, which included human-centered principles, provided alignment, connection, and accountability across the organization. Leaders led differently, prioritizing care for self, and leading others in a relational approach. The culture transformation resulted in improved staff engagement, retention, patient experience, and quality outcomes. The senior nurse leaders share their culture transformation experience.

Increasing access to pediatric palliative care in a large hospital system: Trials and triumphs from an APRN initiative
Journal of Hospice & Palliative Nursing; by Faith Kinnear; 4/26 
According to the Pediatric Palliative Care Task Force formed in 2020 and hosted by the National Coalition for Hospice and Palliative Care, children with serious illness should have access to palliative care that meets the population’s unique needs. Taking care to assess needs, communicate with leadership teams, develop rapport with key stakeholders, and utilize the support staff already in place allowed for successful implementation of pediatric palliative care services at 2 satellite campuses over a 5-year span. Services included inpatient and outpatient patient care; ongoing family bereavement support; compiling staff resources and providing ongoing staff training in primary pediatric palliative care skills. Each satellite campus now has dedicated pediatric palliative care providers. This article outlines how the satellite palliative care programs were developed, the challenges and successes in the process, and the role of the APRN in program development.

Family caregiver perspectives on advance care planning discussions for residents with dementia led by trained nursing home staff: Insights from the APPROACHES project 
The Journal of the Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Medical Association; JAMDA; by Susan E. Hickman, PhD, Hillary D. Lum, MD, PhD, Kathleen T. Unroe, MD, MHA, MS; 3/6/26  
Advance care planning (ACP) is essential in supporting family caregivers of nursing home residents with dementia, but nursing home (NH) staff often lack training to engage in proactive ACP discussions. An embedded pragmatic clinical trial was conducted to test a structured ACP training for NH staff called the ACP Specialist Program. This study explores family caregivers’ experiences related to discussions with the ACP Specialist, as well as needs and challenges in making ACP decisions for NH residents living with dementia.

Auricular acupuncture for symptom management in inpatient palliative care
Journal of Hospice & Palliative Nursing; by Anup Bhushan, Dan Mazanec, Jessica Bullington, Justin Marsden, Jingwen Zhang, Kacie Bhushan, Patrick Coyne; 4/26
Palliative care teams treat patients with intractable pain and debilitating symptoms on a daily basis [and] nurses play a significant role in the assessment and intervention of patients with chronic pain and ... symptoms ... Complementary therapy with acupuncture has proven to be helpful, but to date, there is little research examining the efficacy of auricular acupuncture in treating the acute-on-chronic symptoms associated with life-limiting illness in hospitalized patients. This ...  study of 101 participants examined auricular acupuncture’s impact on pain and symptom management, as well as pre- and post-intervention opioid utilization ... This study demonstrated statistical improvement in pain, nausea, dyspnea, and anxiety scores. Nurses and other providers trained in auricular acupuncture can provide a nonpharmacological intervention that improves pain and related symptoms for patients with serious illness.

Innovation in health equity research among priority populations
Nursing Outlook; by Lenette M. Jones, Tam H. Nguyen, Forgive Avorgbedor, Crystal Chapman Lambert, Jean Edward, Michelle L. Litchman, Kimberly Souffront, Maya N. Clark-Cutaia, Dawn M. Aycock; 3/26
All people deserve adequate health care and representation in research to ensure that their assessments, treatments, and services are effective. Historically, priority populations have endured the greatest inequities and disparities in healthcare access, quality, and outcomes. Priority populations include, but are not limited to, racial/ethnic minorities, women, older adults, rural residents, persons living in poverty, and persons with disabilities. A core mission of the Betty Irene Moore (BIM) Fellowship Program, started in 2020, was to develop nurses as catalysts in resolving healthcare deficiencies through bold leadership and innovation. The authors describe priority populations of interest among BIM fellows and how their fellowship-funded projects are tailored and targeted to advance health equity.

Limits of correctional health reporting: Findings from a nationwide jail mortality survey (2019-2024)
Journal of Correctional Health Care; by Liz Harris, William Dennis; 3/26
This article presents findings from a national survey of 287 counties across 43 states assessing jail mortality between 2019 and 2024 in an attempt to compare private health care provider outcomes with county providers. The findings demonstrated that currently available information cannot serve as a reliable measure of health care quality in correctional settings due to sociocultural reporting constraints. Institutional and cultural deterrents to objective reporting have led to incomplete records, misclassified causes of death, and failures to maintain legally mandated death reports. There is a clear need for health benchmarking and clear definitions for reporting in correctional health care to enable valid comparisons between health care provider models. The paper draws attention to a recently established correctional health care-specific patient safety organization as a potential solution to enable correctional health care providers to better understand the drivers of health care outcomes in correctional facilities.

[Telangana, India] Effect of mindfulness-based stress reduction activities on family caregiver burden in patients with dementia-A pilot study
Home Healthcare Now; by Jala Sireesha, Jayasree Manukinda, Sudhindra Vooturi, Sai Sirisha, Shanmukhi Somayajula, Sita Jayalakshmi; March-April, 2026
Progressive functional decline and behavioral disturbances in people with dementia place sustained emotional and practical demands on family caregivers, often resulting in chronic stress, anxiety, depression, and a high perceived caregiving burden. This pilot study examined the effects of an 8-week online Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) program on psychological burden and well-being among family caregivers of people with dementia. Following the intervention, caregivers demonstrated significant improvements, including reduced perceived burden, lower levels of depression, anxiety, and stress, and improved functional engagement. Given its virtual delivery and low resource requirements, MBSR has the potential to be integrated into routine caregiver support services, particularly for those with limited access to in-person interventions.

Wait. Be patient. The storm will pass. The spring will come. ~Robert H. Schuller