Literature Review

Mississippi health department says some medical marijuana products are being retested for safetyMississippi Public Broadcasting; 12/28/23The Mississippi State Department of Health said Wednesday that “a large number” of medical marijuana products are on hold so they can be retested. The department first issued the hold on Dec. 21. A news release from the department said the products are being retested “to validate results related to the use of pesticides and presence of mycotoxins,” which are produced by fungi. No illnesses from the products have been reported, the department said.

People are talking to their dead loved ones—and they can’t stop laughing. It’s a refreshing trend.USA Today; 12/29/23Everyone grieves differently—and if you’ve spent any time on TikTok in recent days, you might have noticed some unexpected, unusual methods. Some people—to the tune of millions of likes—are confessing or sharing stories with their dead loved ones directly on social media.

Health IT Trends for 2024: Innovations, Challenges, and ImplicationsMedriva / Digital Health, by Dr. Jessica Nelson; 12/19/23The upcoming changes are set to revolutionize healthcare, making it more efficient, accessible, and personalized. These trends underscore the importance of healthcare professionals and organizations staying informed and prepared.

One-third of academic physicians intend to leave current institution within 2 yearsBecker's Hospital Review, by Ashleigh Hollowell, 12/18/23More than one-third of academic physicians reported that they intend to leave their current institution within the next two years, according to a cross-sectional survey of 18,719 in the role at 15 academic-affiliated health systems.

What is hospice care? 6 myths about this end-of-life optionNPRDecember 28, 2023... Former President Jimmy Carter, the longest-living former president in American history at age 99, joined those numbers in February when his family announced he was entering hospice. ... Many assumed the decision meant that Carter wouldn’t be alive for much longer. But contrary to popular belief, hospice care isn’t necessarily only for people who have just a few days to live, nor does it mean giving up care entirely. ... Here’s the truth about some of the myths about hospice care and how it works.

Lawsuit—Minnesota’s free training hurt nursing assistant schoolsStar Tribune (Minneapolis, MN)December 26, 2023A group of nursing assistant training schools has sued Minnesota, saying their business has been undercut by the state’s free training program. With its no-cost training for would-be nursing assistants, Minnesota’s two-year-old Next Generation Nursing Assistant training program has been hailed as a solution to the state’s worsening health care labor shortage. But providers left on the outside of that program say they have struggled. 

New services help post-acute, hospital partnershipsModern HealthcareDecember 27, 2023Nursing homes and home healthcare companies are branching into new lines of business to increase revenue as demand for post-acute care rises and Medicare and Medicaid reimbursements stagnate. It is a trend that Ash Shehata, a partner at business consulting firm KPMG, has been tracking for the past two years. Healthcare providers are under increasing pressure from insurers to quicken the move of patients to less-costly settings. 

I Promised My Sister I Would Write About How She Chose to DieBy Steven Petrow, Guest ColumnistNew York TimesDecember 28, 2023On the day before my sister Julie died, I lay down on her bed and held her gingerly in my arms, afraid that any pressure would hurt her. She had lost so much weight that she looked like a stick figure I might have drawn when we were kids. 

Aaron A. & Maria H. Putnam Family Charitable Trust gives grant to Aroostook Hospice FoundationThe County (Presque Isle, ME)December 26, 2023Presque Isle, ME—The Aroostook Hospice Foundation, owner of the Aroostook House of Comfort, is delighted to announce the receipt of a generous $5,000 grant from the Aaron A. and Maria H. Putnam Family Charitable Trust of Houlton. 

“Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards.”Søren Kierkegaard

Saint Louis University Hospital readies for 2-day nurse strikeBecker’s Hospital ReviewDecember 26, 2023Nurses represented by National Nurses United are set to begin a two-day strike at Saint Louis University Hospital in St. Louis. Dec. 27. ... The union said the strike is in response to hospital management’s “persistent union-busting and outsourcing of RN jobs.” This is the second strike the union has called this year at Saint Louis University Hospital, with the first taking place in September.

Death by Doctor May Soon Be Available for the Mentally Ill in CanadaNew York TimesDecember 27, 2023Canada already has one of the most liberal assisted death laws in the world, offering the practice to terminally and chronically ill Canadians. But under a law scheduled to take effect in March assisted dying would also become accessible to people whose only medical condition is mental illness, making Canada one of about half a dozen countries to permit the procedure for that category of people. That move has divided Canadians, some of whom view it as a sign that the country’s public health care system is not offering adequate psychiatric care, which is notoriously underfunded and in high demand. 

Non-profit hospice group uses thrift store to help fund their servicesWMAZ-TV (Macon, GA)December 27, 2023Warner-Robins, GA—This thrift store might sell a variety of goods, but the proceeds help terminally ill patients get the end-of-life services they need. Sheila Redding is the store manager for the Heart of Georgia Hospice thrift store. She enjoys the opportunity to give back. Since 2021, the thrift store has provided more than $80,000 for hospice services.