Literature Review

[Canada] Hospice placements provide nursing students new perspectives BarrieToday.com; by Marg Bruineman; 4/26/24 As Georgian College works toward having its first graduating class in its bachelor of science in nursing (BScN) degree program next year, students are moving into practical placements in health care. Among them is a new opportunity to explore opportunities in hospice and end-of-life care – a field that continues to develop to meet the needs of an aging population. ... The response from the hospice community, she says, was encouraging. Georgian now has agreements with all nine hospices in the Simcoe-Muskoka-York area that were approached, including hospices in Vaughan and Richmond Hill. The students work onsite for 72 hours over three weeks allowing them to immerse themselves into the setting.

By the Bay forges educational partnerships to grow hospice, home-based care workforce Hospice News; by Holly Vossel; 4/23/25 By the Bay Health has launched a new career program that aims to build up the next generation of home-based health care professionals amid widespread workforce shortages. The California-based health system unveiled its educational initiative, Pathways to Care Careers, in December 2024 as part of its 50th anniversary commemoration. The program is a collaboration with local schools and community organizations. By the Bay Health recently began a $1 million fundraising campaign to support the expansion of the career initiative. A main goal is to reach an increasingly diverse range of health care workers further upstream in their educational journeys, said Robertina Szolarova, chief administrative officer at By the Bay Health and program lead for its Pathways to Care Careers initiative.

Prevention of acute hospital transfers for long-term care residents at the end of life American Journal of Hospice and Palliative Medicine (AJHPM); by Kirsten Lanpher, DMS, MSPA, PA-C and Kirsten Brondstater, DMS, MSPAS, PA-C; 3/24/25 Findings: Long-term care residents are a vulnerable population with advanced comorbidities who often require high acuity care and are subject to preventable transfers to the hospital at the EOL. These disruptions in EOL care cause harm and complications, negatively impacting quality of care. The consequences of these events can be mitigated with early advance care planning to include documentation of EOL care goals, onsite medical clinicians to make critical decisions and provide care within LTC facilities, and adequate staffing with proper palliative and hospice care training. Conclusion: Immediate action is needed to advocate for this high risk population and implement interventions to prevent hospital transfers at the EOL, therefore improving quality of care and positively influencing LTC residents’ EOL experience.

The intersection of dignity and healing with Dr. Harvey Max Chochinov Practice of the Practice; podcast by Jo Sanok with Dr. Harvey Max Chochinov; 4/22/25 How can we ensure dignity in end-of-life care? What does every therapist need to know about actively incorporating dignity into therapeutic care for their clients? What is the procedure for a practical application of dignity in therapy and healthcare? In this podcast episode, Joe Sanok discusses the intersection of dignity and healing with Dr. Harvey Max Chochinov. 

Empath Health commits funding for hospice, palliative care education at University of Southern FloridaHospice News; by Jim Parker; 4/16/25Hospice and senior services provider Empath Health is financially supporting clinical education in hospice and palliative care at the University of Southern Florida (USF). The company has made a $50,000 commitment to supporting education efforts. Empath will provide $10,000 annually to USF’s Center for Hospice, Palliative Care and End-of-Life Studies. ... “At Empath Health, we are absolutely doubling down on how important investing in our people is to achieve those goals and outcomes,” CEO Jonathan Fleece said at the Home Care 100 conference in Florida. 

“I Don’t Know What to Say”-A multimodal educational and environmental intervention to improve bedside nursing communication at end of lifeJournal of Hospice & Palliative Nursing; Wolownik, Gregory DNP, AGPCNP-BC, ACHPN; Wholihan, Dorothy DNP, AGPCNP-BC, ACHPN, FPCN, FAAN; 4/25... research shows inpatient medical-surgical nurses are not adequately trained to deliver end-of-life (EOL) care. This lack of foundational learning leads to gaps when communicating with patients and families and negatively impacts quality of care. A literature review and staff interviews identified barriers to communication, such as lack of formal education and experience; personal, cultural, and emotional challenges; and high workload. A multimodal intervention focusing on improving staff nurse communication skills was designed ...[including] environmental cues, engaging pocket cards, and an education module on communication techniques. Nurses demonstrated increased confidence and competence immediately following the education session, enduring at 4 weeks. Innovative, clinically relevant interventions can positively impact communication skills without requiring increased time commitments or high cost.

Rochester’s Art of Observation program helps medical students and clinicians cultivate essential clinical skills University of Rochester, Rochester, NY; by Melissa Pheterson; 4/8/25 After a day of seeing and treating patients, eight faculty-physicians from the University of Rochester Medical Center met at the University’s Memorial Art Gallery (MAG). They sat on folding stools before a painting of a woman and three children gathered around a table, on which the woman appeared to be cutting something. ... “What do you see?” said Natercia Rodrigues ’19M (MS), an assistant professor at the School of Medicine and Dentistry, a family physician in the UR Medicine Primary Care network, and the group’s facilitator. Designed to enhance observational skills for healthcare professionals, the sustained viewing and structured dialogue help participants unpack their assumptions, consider different perspectives, and avoid jumping to conclusions—among other cognitive biases— ... [Continue reading ...]

You've got a friendtor in me: Innovations in peer mentoring for mid-career palliative care clinicians American Journal of Hospice & Palliative Care; April Zehm, Andrew J Lawton, Leah B Rosenberg, Sudha Natarajan, Bethany-Rose Daubman; 3/14/25 Mentoring is crucial to professional success, but little is known about the professional development needs of mid-career hospice and palliative medicine (HPM) clinicians. ... An interprofessional "friendtor" group of five HPM clinicians from three academic medical centers met monthly and for a year-end focus group. ... Several themes emerged that highlight the importance of ...

Seeking human empathy, health insurers turn to AI Modern Healthcare; by Nona Tepper; 3/27/25 When Florida Blue wanted its call center employees to demonstrate greater emotional intelligence when dealing with customers, the nonprofit health insurance company enlisted a tutor incapable of emotion. A generative artificial intelligence, or genAI, chatbot instructs 30 Florida Blue customer service representatives on how to behave like human beings when interacting with other human beings. The chatbot guides workers on human behaviors, such as when to slow their speech, when to hasten a call to its conclusion and what to recommend to policyholders. The company plans to expand this pilot program to its entire 1,600-person call center team this year. [Continue reading ... access may be limited]Editor's note: Is this backwards? What happened to human kindness? Courtesy and core respect? I am a lifelong lover of new technologies. Still, I am surprised at this seemingly-backwards twist. For whatever works, may we learn and grow in "[behaving] like human beings when interacting with other human beings."

Federal legislation would mandate hospice education upon hospital discharge McKnights Home Care; by Adam Healy; 4/2/25 A bill under consideration in Congress would require hospitals to educate patients about hospice care options upon discharge. HR 2437, introduced Thursday by Rep. Erin Houchin (R-IN), would amend Medicare policy to mandate that hospitals “provide information on available hospice programs to certain individuals upon discharge,” according to the bill. Although hospitals are not necessarily required to provide patients with information on available hospice programs upon discharge, they are encouraged to do so. [Continue reading ...]

What is death positivity? Healthline; by Sarah Choi, medically reviewed by Joslyn Jelinek, LCSW, ACSW, RDDP; 3/28/25 Death positivity involves acknowledging death as simply the final phase of life. It emphasizes open discussions around death and education on the options, rights, and choices surrounding it. ... The Death Positivity Movement was coined in 2011 by funeral director Caitlin Doughty, but the sentiment existed long before — the movement’s origins date back to the 1970s, drawing on the hospice movement. ... Elements of the Death Positivity Movement:

Y.C. Ho/Helen and Michael Chiang Foundation Fellowship Grant Program now open American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine (AAHPM); Press Release; 3/25/25 We are pleased to announce that the Y.C. Ho/Helen and Michael Chiang Foundation has awarded AAHPM a grant to support fellowship training programs for the 2026-2027 academic year. [This grant] is available to partially support a fellowship training program that operates an adult accredited program offering a pediatric focused hospice and palliative medicine fellowship training program or pediatric hospice and palliative medicine fellowship training program accredited through the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) preparing physicians to practice as a pediatric hospice and palliative medicine (HPM) subspecialist following training. This funding initiative is open to accredited hospice and palliative care fellowship training programs, not to individual applicants. Funding will go to support part of the salary and benefits of a single fellow. The application cycle is open now through Wednesday, April 23 at 5pm CT. Details on funding priorities, eligibility criteria, and the application are available on the AAHPM website. [From the AAHPM site:] One award of $45,000 will be presented for the 2026-2027 academic year with the opportunity to renew for one additional year following an evaluation. [Continue reading ...]

Bringing palliative care to every patient with cancer: A conversation with Janet L. Abrahm, MD, FACP, FAAHPM, FASCO The ASCO Post, in partnership with the American Society of Clinical Oncology; by Jo Cavallo; 3/25/25 Janet L. Abrahm, MD, FACP, FAAHPM, FASCO, ... has become a widely recognized leader in the field of supportive care and palliative medicine, serving for nearly a decade on the leadership team of the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine and helping to craft the first Hospice and Palliative Medicine certifying examination offered by the American Board of Internal Medicine. ... In a wide-ranging interview with The ASCO Post, Dr. Abrahm discussed the importance of providing every patient with cancer access to palliative medicine throughout survivorship, how oncologists can become more effective communicators, and strategies to alleviate patients’ suffering at the end of life.