Literature Review

Governor on hand for PACE openingNews-ExpressKy, Pikeville, KY; by Terry L. May; 6/7/24Mountain View PACE (Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly) was created to help adults 55 years old and older with complex care needs to avoid nursing homes and to receive care and services necessary to help them be safe, comfortable, and healthy while maintaining a more independent lifestyle, Mountain View PACE Medical Director Dr. James Rummel Jr. said. ... “For those of us who have aging parents, we see this cycle of people who are having a hard time living well at home so they tend to do this circle of home to the ER to the hospital to the nursing home for rehab then back home and it keeps repeating.” ... “We are not trying to replace anybody,” Rummel said. “We are trying to augment the system to fill the gaps. We are a niche type of healthcare system.” ... “What a great day in Pikeville and Pike County,” Governor Beshear said. “How we treat our seniors says something about us and our values as a people." 

Higher sepsis mortality in safety-net hospitals linked to fewer post-discharge care options Contagion Live - Infectious Diseases Today; by Kenneth Bender, PharmD, MA; 6/9/24 Purportedly higher sepsis mortality in safety-net hospitals reflects less a difference in acute care than opportunities to discharge to hospice. By extending the measure of sepsis-related mortality from in-hospital events to occurrences within 30 days after the diagnosis, the purported higher mortality rate of sepsis treated in safety-net hospitals decreased to parity with non-safety-net hospitals, in a retrospective national cohort study. The investigators note the particular challenges of safety-net hospitals, which care for a disproportionately high share of low-income and underinsured patients, include fewer resources and narrower operating margins, as well as patient populations with decreased access to preventative care and more complex disease presentations.

Palliative care in the intensive care unit: The standard of care AACN - American Association of Critical-Care Nurses; by Clareen Wiencek, PhD, RN, ACNP, FAAN; 6/7/24Intensive care unit–based palliative care has evolved over the past 30 years due to the efforts of clinicians, researchers, and advocates for patient-centered care. ... This article provides an overview of the current state of intensive care unit–based palliative care, examines how the barriers to such care have shifted, reviews primary and specialist palliative care, addresses the impact of COVID-19, and presents resources to help nurses and intensive care unit teams achieve optimal outcomes. [Access to the full article requires subscription or purchase of the individual article.]

Telehealth delivers early palliative care as effectively as in-person careAJMC, American Society of Clinical Oncology; by Laura Joszt, MA; 6/2/24 Early palliative care can be delivered via telehealth with equivalent quality-of-life effects as palliative care delivered in person to patients with advanced non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), according to late-breaking results presented during [a] plenary session at the 2024 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) annual meeting. Whether the palliative care was delivered in person or via telehealth, the most common topics discussed during the visit were similar and included building and establishing rapport to create a relationship with the patient and their family, identifying symptoms and grading symptom management, and coping with serious illness, explained Joseph Greer, PhD, codirector of the Cancer Outcomes Research & Education Program at Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center and associate professor of psychology in the Department of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School ...

State Palliative Care Advisory Councils are advancing serious illness care National Academy for State Health Policy; by Ella Taggart; 5/30/24 Twenty-four states have a palliative care advisory council, coalition, or task force created through state legislation or regulation to guide work to support and expand care for those with serious illness. We talked to leaders of active and longstanding councils in Maine, Maryland, and Texas to learn about their creation, impact, and lessons learned for states looking to do the same. ... Learn more about the states that have councils, including their establishment and activity, on NASHP’s Palliative Care Advisory Task Forces Tracker [link provided with the source article].

‘We don’t talk about death’: Winston-Salem journalist seeks to help people understand dying, deathbed visions Fox 8 WGHP - High Point, NC; by Bob Buckley; 5/29/24 There may not be anything that fascinates people more than death. It may be the thing many people avoid confronting the most. “In our culture, we’re pretty separated from death. And I don’t know the figures, but the vast majority … take place in hospitals. We don’t talk about death a lot in our culture,” said Phoebe Zerwick, a journalist based in Winston-Salem who recently wrote about deathbed visions for the New York Times Magazine. ... Zerwick became aware of the work of Dr. Christopher Kerr. ... “The biggest difference between hallucinations and these experiences is how the person is made to feel,” Dr. Kerr said. “Most hallucinations leave the person distressed and agitated and would be further confused. These experiences bring comfort. They bring meaning. They’re drawn from life. They really validate the life.” ... “I think the moral of the story is to be present and to be present with people when they are terminally ill. Be present when they’re dying,” Zerwick said.

How palliative care is changing in today’s health care environment Hospice News; by Molly Bookner; 5/29/24 As the palliative care field continues to grow and transform, understanding the current trends, outlook, relevant challenges and necessary skills for future leaders is critical. Two significant trends impacting the field of palliative care currently, according to experts, are the expansion of services and the integration of technology, particularly artificial intelligence (AI). Dr. Vicki Jackson, board president of the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine (AAHPM), noted that palliative care has demonstrated a positive impact on patient-reported outcomes across various illnesses, including cancer, heart, liver, kidney disease and dementia. 

Disparities in palliative care use for patients with blood cancer who died in the hospital The American Journal of Hospice & Palliative Care; by Tien-Chan Hsieh, Yee Hui Yeo, Guangchen Zou, Chan Zhou, Arlene Ash; 5/27/24 online ahead of printBackground: Palliative care can enhance quality of life during a terminal hospitalization. Despite advances in diagnostic and treatment tools, blood cancers lag behind solid malignancies in palliative use. It is not clear what factors affect palliative care use in blood cancer. Conclusions: This study highlights disparities in palliative care use among blood-cancer patients who died in the hospital. It seems likely that many of the 46% who did not receive palliative care could have benefitted from it. Interventions are likely needed to achieve equitable access to ideal levels of palliative care services in late-stage blood cancer.

Transformative peer connections: Early experiences from the ASCO Palliative Care Community of Practice American Society of Clinical Oncology; by Mazie Tsang, Cristiane Bergerot, Natasha Dhawan, Rushil Patel, Darcy Burbage, Tingting Zhang, Jafar Al-Mondhiry, Joseph McCollom, Ramy Sedhom; 5/22/24 online ahead of print in June 2024  ... there are barriers to implementing palliative oncology at many institutions for myriad reasons. ... In this article, we discuss an innovative strategy that ASCO implemented called the Communities of Practice (CoP). We share our experiences as the Palliative Care CoP and how our group seeks to develop processes and structures to collectively promote systemic change and enhance palliative care delivery for people with cancer. Our Palliative Care CoP engages with senior leaders, administrators, and those in power to achieve a shared vision of delivering holistic health care for people with serious illness. ... [We address] eight main domains:

Tuesday Health launches revolutionary Supportive Care solution with $60 million of strategic investment from healthcare leadersInvestors Observier; by PR Newswire; 5/21/24Tuesday Health, a pioneer in value-based care dedicated to transforming serious illness, has launched its innovative supportive care solution in partnership with Valtruis, Blue Venture Fund, Mass General Brigham Ventures , and CareSource. This alliance brings a $60 million strategic investment to Tuesday Health, fueling its mission to redefine supportive care for patients and caregivers facing serious illnesses. "Leveraging clinical expertise, advanced data solutions, and cutting-edge technology, while partnering with Ohio's largest Medicaid plan, its largest hospice provider and the unmatched palliative care experience of Mass General, Tuesday Health is dedicated to tackling one of healthcare's biggest challenges-providing support and care in the right setting, at the right time, for those facing serious illness", said Jim Wieland, CEO of Tuesday Health.Editor's Note: What is the difference between supportive care and palliative care? Click here for a description from ASCO, the American Society of Clinical Oncology. 

End-of-life talks, planning benefit all racial groups, study finds McKnights Long-Term Care News; by Kristen Fischer ... Having formal advanced care planning (ACP) in place was linked to higher odds of receiving care that aligned with individuals’ goals, the researchers found. The study evaluated how ACP and goal-concordant care (GCC) — an approach that aims to meet the patient’s goal and includes ACP and conversations about care goals —  affected people of different races. The report was published on May 18 in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.  The framework is especially important for people in racial or ethnic minority populations who have a greater risk of poor end-of-life outcomes and don’t receive GCC. ... Older adults are more likely to receive hospice care at the end of life compared to previous decades, but a lot of people still report care that didn’t meet their preferences, the authors noted.

In good hands: VA medical center introduces new inpatient hospice room and dialysis suites Salisbury Post; by Brad Dountz; 5/21/24The W.B. (Bill) Hefner Salisbury Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center ... held a ribbon cutting ceremony for the new inpatient hospice room, dialysis suites and six patient care rooms earlier this month. The amenities will allow veterans to get the treatment they need. Construction began during the days of COVID, but thanks to the work of the VA employees who built it, veterans can finally reap the benefits.  “We come together to honor those who have selflessly served our country and now require specialized care. Some of them are in their final moments,” said Dr. Kamran Lateef, chief of hospital medicine. “In this sanctuary of compassion and solace, every detail has been meticulously crafted to offer the highest quality of care tailored to the unique needs of our beloved veterans.”