Literature Review

[Wales] 'Breaking point' as people in last 12 months of life occupy 'almost a fifth of Welsh hospital beds' Sky News; 6/3/25 People in the last 12 months of their life occupy "almost a fifth of Welsh hospital beds", according to a end of life care charity. Marie Curie Cymru says end of life care in Wales is "at breaking point" and is calling on the next Welsh government to ensure high-quality care. The charity says that, for many, support could be better provided at home or close to home, as it launched its manifesto for next year's Senedd election at Cardiff Bay's Norwegian Church on Tuesday. Gareth Miles died at home in Llanddarog, Carmarthenshire, in September 2023. Mr. Miles, who had Parkinson's disease, had spent 10 weeks in hospital before his last week.

Revolutionizing health in South Florida: The benefits of IV therapy and inclusive hospice care South Florida Reporter; by southfloridareporter.com; 6/8/25 ... South Florida is known for its multicultural population, making the expansion of hospice care to diverse groups particularly significant. Traditionally, certain cultural or community groups may have had hesitations or lacked access to hospice care due to language barriers, cultural misunderstandings, or lack of awareness. Increasingly, hospice organizations are focusing on outreach and education within these communities, breaking down barriers and encouraging patients and families to consider hospice as a valuable option for quality end-of-life care. 

Colorado exemplifies how to build upon paid leave progress to meet families’ evolving needs A Better Balance; 6/3/25 Colorado continues to pave the way for strong work-family protections by modeling how these policies can be expanded to meet families' needs. This spring, Colorado expanded the state’s paid family and medical leave program (the FAMLI Act, which our Colorado Office helped write and pass) to include an additional 12 weeks of paid leave for parents with a baby in the neonatal intensive care unit. Governor Polis signed the bill into law on Friday, May 30th, and Colorado workers with a child in the NICU will be able to take additional leave under the expansion beginning on or after January 1, 2026. ... For parents with children in the NICU, additional time off work to remain present can be a lifeline during a stressful time.Editor's note: As we know, the fragile and uncertain health of an infant in a neonatal intensive care unit can, heartbreakingly, lead to death. This—one of the most devastating forms of loss—often leaves parents to grieve in silence, their sorrow compounded by the experience of disenfranchised grief. While family and friends care deeply, they frequently falter in their efforts to provide meaningful support. Bravo to Colorado's FAMLI Act. May more states follow their lead.

Willamette Vital Health completes affiliation with Chapters Health System Hospice News; by Jim Parker; 6/6/25 Oregon-based Willamette Vital Health has completed its affiliation with Chapter Health System. Willamette now becomes part of Chapters Health West, an extension of Florida-based Chapters’ footprint into Nevada, California and Oregon. Chapters Health West came into being with the affiliation of four hospices with Chapters, including Nathan Adelson, California-based Hospice of Santa Cruz County and Hospice East Bay and Willamette. The organization is the second to complete an affiliation with Chapters. Las Vegas-headquartered Nathan Adelson was the first to complete in April. 

The Alliance champions community-based solutions at Senate palliative care briefing National Alliance for Care at Home, Alexandria, VA and Washington, DC; Press Release; 6/4/25 The National Alliance for Care at Home (the Alliance) played a lead role in [Wednesday's] Senate Comprehensive Care Caucus briefing, which focused on expanding access to palliative care services for patients with serious illness. The bipartisan event, hosted by Senators Jacky Rosen (D-NV), John Barrasso (R-WY), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), and Deb Fischer (R-NE), underscored the need for innovative models that deliver person-centered care in the home and community. Hillary Loeffler, Vice President of Policy & Regulatory Affairs for the Alliance, moderated the panel discussion, guiding thoughtful conversation on access, workforce, and innovation in care delivery. 

Research study participation, 6/7/25

A strategic path forward for hospice and palliative care: A white paper on the potential future of the fieldPalliative Medicine Reports; by Ira Byock; 6/5/25The field of hospice and palliative care in the United States is experiencing serious problems and faces an uncertain future. Quality of hospice care is highly variable. Unethical hospice business practices are common in some regions. Palliative care’s integration within American health care has stalled, despite demonstrating that much better care for seriously ill and dying people is both feasible and affordable... Efforts must start with zero tolerance of fraudulent business and clinical practices that harm vulnerable patients. The four components of this strategic approach are:

Sunday newsletters focus on headlines and top read stories of the last week (in order) - enjoy!

Integrating psychotherapeutic concepts to enhance serious illness communication: Assessment of a model curriculumJournal of Palliative Medicine; Danielle Chammas, Keri Brenner, Amanda Moment, Sarah E. Byrne-Martelli, Leah B. Rosenberg, Daniel Shalev; 5/25 Serious illness communication training often focuses on sharing medical information, discussing goals of care, and supporting patients and caregivers. Few communication frameworks explicitly integrate psychosocial concepts to improve therapeutic efficacy. Using Kern’s six-step curriculum development model, we created an interactive workshop focused on psychological formulation and countertransference. Results: Satisfaction was high (92% satisfied or highly satisfied), and most participants reported meaningful impact on their clinical practice (89%), teaching (93%), and team collaboration (93%) at eight-week follow-up. Conclusions: A multisite, half-day workshop significantly enhanced palliative care clinicians’ knowledge and perceived application of core psychotherapeutic concepts.

Providing support to children during the loss of an important adult in the ICUIntensive Care Medicine; Ruth Kleinpell, Bénédicte Gaillard-Le Roux, Jozef Kesecioglu; 5/25Research on bereavement care in the ICU has demonstrated associated benefits, including facilitating emotional adjustments, meaning-making, and resilience. As Rowland and colleagues highlight, helping children process information effectively without feeling overwhelmed is important, as they need supportive adults to provide honest, developmentally appropriate explanations. The strategies highlighted in their narrative review can help ICU clinicians to tailor bereavement care for children to support them through the loss of an important adult in the ICU.

Sex and racial/ethnic differences in end-of-life care preferences in persons with Parkinson's Disease and related disordersMovement Disorders; Whitley W Aamodt, Lynn Eickholt, David G Coughlin, Lisa Solomon, Katharine A Rendle, Carly Marshall, Joaquin A Vizcarra, Nabila Dahodwala; 5/25In persons with Parkinson's disease (PD) and related disorders (PDRD), rates of end-of-life (EoL) hospitalization are greatest, and rates of hospice utilization lowest, among men and persons of color. In adjusted models, women with PDRD were more likely than men to prefer religious/spiritual support at the end of life. Compared with White participants with PDRD, non-White participants were more likely to consider EoL hospitalization, less likely to consider medical aid in dying, and less familiar with palliative care. In four focus groups involving 14 questionnaire respondents, contributors to EoL decision-making included medical knowledge/information, personal experiences, family dynamics, religion/spirituality, and resources/cost. Conclusions: EoL care preferences differ by sex and race/ethnicity in persons with PDRD. These preferences are influenced by multiple factors and may contribute to differential EoL outcomes, emphasizing the need for individualized, culturally competent EoL care. 

Trends in home health care among traditional Medicare beneficiaries with or without dementiaJAMA Network Open; Rachel M. Werner, MD, PhD; Seiyoun Kim, PhD; R. Tamara Konetzka, PhD; 5/25In the US, nearly 7 million people live with Alzheimer disease and other dementias, a number that is expected to increase as the population ages. Although many people with dementia live in nursing homes or other institutional settings, institutional use is decreasing, and a growing majority of people with dementia are opting to live at home and receive care in the community. Home-based care is typically consistent with most people’s preferences and may be particularly important for those with dementia, as institutional settings and transfers can be stressful and disorienting.

Global adoption of value-based health care initiatives within health systems-A scoping reviewJAMA Health Forum; Ayooluwa O. Douglas, MD, MPH; Senthujan Senkaiahliyan, MHSc; Caroline A. Bulstra, DVM, MHSc, PhD; Carol Mita, MS; Che L. Reddy, MBChB, MPH; Rifat Atun, MBBS, MBA; 5/25The value-based health care (VBHC) framework was introduced in the US in 2006 to combat rising health care expenditures that failed to produce improvements in patient quality, safety, and outcomes over the past decades. The framework focuses on 6 elements: (1) organizing care around medical conditions, (2) measuring outcomes and costs for every patient, (3) aligning reimbursement with value through bundled payments, (4) integrating care systems regionally, (5) establishing national centers of excellence for complex care, and (6) using information technology systems to support these elements. This scoping review of 50 initiatives found that the implementation of VBHC globally is still in its early stages, with published scientific literature pointing to small-scale institutional-level implementation within individual departments and hospitals. Large-scale implementation designed to develop high-value health systems is limited.