Literature Review

If you’re known for these 5 habits, your leadership skills are off the charts Inc.; by Marcel Schwantes; 3/19/25 In an era of constant disruption, every leader should aspire to have these skills and habits. Business is more unpredictable than ever, and it’s hitting leaders hard. More than half (57 percent) of executives say their companies faced serious disruption last year—way up from the year before. Employees are also checking out—engagement is at a 10-year low. The old way of leading, where authority and expertise ruled, isn’t cutting it anymore. The best leaders today aren’t just the smartest or most experienced—they’re the ones who know how to build trust, bring people together, and lead with confidence and compassion. ... Five power skills of essential leadership: ...

Certified nurses at Mount Sinai: Representing a commitment to excellence and to their profession Mount Sinai Today - Featrued, Nursing; 3/18/25 Nursing Certification is an important, independent validation of specialized nursing knowledge and expertise that meet or exceed professional standards. In fact, empirical evidence shows an association between nursing certification and better patient outcomes, ... Across the Mount Sinai Health System, an impressive near 50 percent of nurses have earned board certification in their chosen specialties. Their patients, families, colleagues, and teams are the direct beneficiaries of nursing expertise that is recognized as meeting or exceeding the highest professional standards. ... [From Carla Alves-Miraldo, MS, MSN-Ed, RN, CHPN, KP6,] "Becoming a Certified Hospice and Palliative Care Nurse is a reflection of my commitment to ensuring every patient receives comfort, dignity, and compassionate care during life’s most challenging moments. This certification is more than a title—it represents my dedication to guiding patients and families with expertise, empathy, and unwavering support."

Dr. Sean O’Mahony aims to expand UTMB’s Division of Palliative Care UTMB Health - The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston;  3/18/25 Palliative care should be more accessible, bridge gaps in health care environment. ... Dr. Sean O’Mahony, director of the Palliative Medicine division, came to UTMB in June, having served as professor and Director of Supportive Oncology and Section Chief at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago, and in key roles at Albert Einstein College of Medicine and Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. ... O’Mahony said, “I was attracted to UTMB’s commitment to underserved patients, its prison health population, and its large population of underinsured patients. I’m also interested in the opportunity to develop palliative medicine from the ground up in the mainland hospitals.” ... 

How work in the hospice field differs from hospital work Healthcare Business Today; 3/17/25 ... How work in the hospice field differs from hospital work goes beyond the obvious difference in care settings—it reflects a fundamental shift in approach, focus, and philosophy. Hospice focuses on enhancing quality of life, while hospitals often prioritize life-saving interventions. This contrast not only shapes patient care but also defines the role of the medical teams in these environments.

Terminally ill Stanford professor teaches class about dying from cancerCBS News, Bay Area, CA; by Elizabeth Cook; 3/13/25 A Stanford University professor's new curriculum explores the multiple aspects and phases of a person dying of cancer, and it comes from a person with first-hand knowledge. Dr. Bryant Lin has been a professor for almost two decades. He's used to being the teacher, not the subject of his classes. But that all changed in 2024 when he was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer. ... The diagnosis was a dose of cruel irony. Lin co-founded the Center for Asian Health Research and Education. One of the priorities for the foundation is researching non-small cell adenocarcinoma, also known as "never-smoker lung cancer," the same cancer diagnosis that Lin received. ... The class is called "From diagnosis to dialogue: A doctor's real-time battle with cancer." Within minutes of being posted, the class and the waitlist were full. ... The 10-week course covers the entire spectrum of cancer as seen through the eyes of someone who is living it. ... Stanford University recorded every session of the class so that they could live on for future physicians. If you would like to watch them, they can be found on YouTube. 

Partners In Care hosts A Year to Live book discussion group starting April 5 Cascasde Business News; by CBN; 3/11/25 The Bereavement Department in conjunction with leadership at Partners In Care is hosting a community group to explore messaging in Stephen Levine’s book A Year to Live through a series of monthly sessions in 2025 and early 2026. In A Year to Live, Stephen Levine, author of the perennial bestseller Who Dies? teaches us how to live each moment, each hour, and each day mindfully—as if it were all that was left. On his deathbed, Socrates exhorted his followers to practice dying as the highest form of wisdom. Levine decided to live this way himself for an entire year, and now he shares with us how such immediacy radically changes our view of the world and forces us to examine our priorities. 

Understanding a patient’s AI medical journey The Hastings Center; by Ian Stevens, Erin William, Jean-Christophe Bélisle-Pion, and Vardit Ravitsky; 3/5/25As artificial intelligence becomes increasingly integrated into U.S. health care, patients should know the ways in which AI is being used in their care, concludes a new paper, “Bring a ‘Patient’s Medical AI Journey’ to the Hill.” Transparency is crucial for interactions between health care providers and individual patients, as well as for systemic level uses of AI, including:

The feedback fix: A leadership playbook for scaling listening in hybrid teams Forbes; by Eric Johnson; 2/28/25 When I stepped into the CEO role at SurveyMonkey, I quickly learned that modern leadership isn’t just about making decisions—it’s about listening. At a time when workplace trends like quiet quitting and “resenteeism” reveal the undercurrents of employee disengagement, leaders must ask: Are we doing enough to listen to our teams? ... Here’s how we turned listening into action, using a simple but powerful framework called "strategy circles."

Suspect armed with rifle shoots at hospice nurse, points weapon at deputies The Orange Leader, Orange County, CA; by Staff Reports; 2/28/25 A person was taken into custody after allegedly shooting at a fleeing hospice nurse and pointing a rifle at law enforcement Thursday. Orange County Sheriff’s Deputies responded to the 5600 block of Rebel Road after a hospice nurse reported to 911 that while attempting to provide care to one of her patients she was confronted by an occupant of the home. The occupant followed the nurse out of the home with a rifle, and shot at her as she fled the property.  A single bullet struck the nurse’s vehicle, according to information from OCSO. Upon arrival, Orange County Deputies established communication with the suspect who remained inside the residence with the rifle.  The suspect reportedly pointed the rifle toward the deputies while he remained in close proximity to the hospice patient.  

Forget perks—leadership starts with asking employees what they need Forbes; by Benjamin Laker; 2/25/25 Employee well-being isn’t just a perk—it’s a business imperative. As organizations struggle with high turnover, burnout, and shifting workforce expectations, leaders must rethink how they engage and support employees. Research consistently shows that investing in well-being leads to measurable gains in productivity, retention, and performance. A recent study published by BMJ Leader examined how a structured, data-driven approach to improving workplace culture can yield transformative results—using the well-being initiative at Royal Free Hospital as a case study. ... The program, which was the focus of the BMJ Leader study, incorporated systematic conversations based on the Joy in Work Framework, identifying key challenges and implementing targeted solutions. Following implementation, workplace satisfaction surged by 76%, highlighting the significant impact of addressing staff concerns directly. Employees became more engaged in organizational initiatives, fostering a culture of active participation rather than passive compliance. 

ONA Leadership Column: The next level State Nurses Associations - Oklahoma Nurses Association; by Dean Prentice, DHA, MA, BSN; 2/24/25 What is it going to take to raise the leadership ability of your staff to the next level? One of the many roles you play for your staff is encouraging their professional development. ... The future of nursing will require a well-rounded skill set that goes beyond traditional clinical training. Emotional intelligence, cultural competence, data-driven decision-making, ethical leadership, and resilience are all critical to meeting the challenges of tomorrow’s healthcare landscape. By developing these skills, nurses will not only improve patient outcomes but will also contribute to the evolution of the nursing profession, ensuring it remains relevant, compassionate, and effective in an increasingly complex world. 

Keeping cool when debate turns hot: Inaugural global Ethics Center conference features scholarship, presentations on fostering civil, productive dialogue The Harvard Gazette; by Christy DeSmith; 2/24/25 Americans today are wrestling with how to turn down the heat when discussing politically and morally charged topics. Students, professors, and education professionals from around the globe assembled at Harvard this month to chart their way to more productive discussions — and better relations. The inaugural Challenging Barriers to Civil Discourse conference, hosted by the Edmond and Lily Safra Center for Ethics, featured scholarship on fostering open, honest exchanges across deep divides. ... [Dr. Julia] Kolak told of mediating clashes that arose ... when the family of a critically ill patient ... resisted end-of-life care. She works to unearth the principles guiding all parties, without elevating those with medical expertise. “When we treat others as capable of dialogue,” she offered, “it really changes the affective grip of conflict. ... [Jeffrey Dunn] raised the critical question: “What is the long-term goal of this work?” ...

Why being trustworthy is a leadership hack that drives success Inc.; by Yufie Ren; 2/20/25 Leaders who cultivate trust can significantly reduce employee churn and improve organizational performance. ... In an era of rapid change, when teams look to leaders for stability and direction, trust is the invisible currency that fuels organizational success. ... Fortunately for managers – and workers – there’s a lot of research into how to be a more trustworthy leader. Here are a few insights: