Literature Review

New data reveals the hidden costs of workplace violence in healthcare Perceptyx; by Ellen Lovell, PhD and Stephanie Schloemer, PhD; 1/17/25 Workplace violence has become an impossible-to-ignore crisis in healthcare, threatening the safety of medical professionals, patients, and institutions. The severity and frequency of these incidents have reached alarming levels, demanding immediate attention and action. ... The human cost is staggering.  ... While our research confirms the widespread nature of safety concerns in healthcare, a deeper analysis reveals significant variations across different healthcare environments and roles. This granular view helps us understand where intervention is most urgently needed. Editor's note: Although "hospice settings reported the lowest agreement at 54%," this statistic should be considered too high for comfort. Actions need to be taken to reduce it. From your professional leadership role, examine the importance of protecting hospice professionals' safety--typically in home settings--and through moments such vulnerable, emotional, conflicted times within families. What can your agency improve?

DEA proposes special registrations for telehealth prescribing TechTarget - xtelligent Virtual Healthcare; by Anuja Vaidya; 1/15/25  The DEA is set to publish a proposal for a special registrations framework that would allow certain healthcare practitioners to prescribe controlled substances via telehealth without performing an in-person exam first. The unpublished proposal made available on the Federal Register details the special registrations framework, which includes three types of registrations:

Why some doctors have started asking patients about their spiritual lives KCLU - NPR for the California Coast; by Ben Thorp; 1/14/25 ... [Some] hospitals have begun to embrace programs targeted at spiritual support in addition to physical care. Those programs are supported by a growing body of research on the health benefits of spiritual practice. One of those programs is out of the Indiana University Health system, which connects patients being discharged from the hospital with individuals called "connectors," if the patient doesn't have a community support network of their own. ... [Case description of Timothy Moss:] After Moss' struggles were identified by his doctor, he was connected to a unique program within the Indiana University Health system called the Congregational Care Network. That program pairs patients with members of local faith groups who spend time with patients over a 12-week period.

Guidelines for evaluating, diagnosing, and disclosing dementia published by Alzheimer’s Association Practical Neurology; 1/14/25 The Diagnostic Evaluation, Testing, Counseling, and Disclosure Clinical Practice Guideline (DETeCD-ADRD CPG) Workgroup, convened and funded by the Alzheimer’s Association, has developed new recommendations for clinicians to use when evaluating patients with possible Alzheimer disease (AD) or AD and related dementias (ADRD). An executive summary of the recommendations for use in primary care and other practice settings was published in Alzheimer’s & Dementia, along with a companion article summarizing specific guidance for specialists. The Workgroup included representatives from  primary, specialty, subspecialty, long-term, and palliative care disciplines as well as the fields of health economics and bioethics.  Editor's note: Click for open access to the Alzheimer's Association clinical practice guideline ..., executive summary of recommendations for primary care. 

Best healthcare jobs in 2025: US NewsBecker's Hospital Review; by Kelly Gooch; 1/14/25U.S. News & World Report released its 2025 best jobs rankings on Jan. 14, highlighting the best jobs across 17 categories, including healthcare. The media company examined data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics to identify jobs with the greatest hiring demand. Jobs are then scored based on future prospects, wage potential, employment, safety and stability, and work-life balance. More information about the methodology is available here. For the second consecutive year, nurse practitioner took the No. 1 spot as the best job in the U.S. and also topped the healthcare list. These are the top 25 jobs in healthcare, according to U.S. News, listed alongside their median salary: 

Medical schools report steep drop in enrollment of Black and Hispanic students after Supreme Court ruling STAT; by Usha Lee McFarling; 1/9/25Enrollment of Black and Hispanic students in medical schools dropped precipitously last year after the Supreme Court banned the consideration of race in admissions, according to data released Thursday by the Association of American Medical Colleges. The number of Black enrollees fell by 11.6% compared to last year, while the number of Hispanic enrollees decreased 10.8%. The numbers were even starker for Indigenous students; the number of American Indian or Alaska Natives dropped by 22.1%, while students who were Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islanders dropped by 4.3%. 

My husband almost died. When I asked his doctor for help, I was appalled by the insensitive response. HuffPost; by Carrie Severson; 1/13/25 ... The physician’s assistant came in and looked at Gavin [the author's husband]. As soon as she took her seat, I told her I wanted to schedule him for a feeding tube, expecting her complete understanding and compassion. Instead, she laughed. “I recommended a consult for a feeding tube last week, and you declined it,” she said sharply. “Now I have to start over from scratch and reach back out to the GI team to see how we can get him in.” My mouth dropped open. I stared at her, bewildered. “I wasn’t ready last week. I’m ready now,” Gavin mumbled, barely audible. “What did he say?” the physician’s assistant snarled. I very calmly repeated what Gavin said, my heart breaking for him and rage racing through my body. “Well, you certainly have made my job harder. And now I’ll have to see what I can do for you. You’ll hear from me about your next steps, and you better follow them. It might be too late because of your attitude,” she barked. I leaned in, looked at her straight on, meeting her nasty tone, and said, “No. Your attitude has made this harder. And it’s very much not appreciated right now. He’s in pain, and your job is to help us. In fact, you took an oath to do no harm, and what you’re doing in this room is harmful.” ...

Sierra Hills strike ends, negotiations ongoing with parent company Wyoming Tribune Eagle; by Noah Zahn; 1/9/25 Employees of Sierra Hills Assisted Living concluded their strike on Jan. 2, and on Tuesday, the union met with Edgewood Healthcare, which owns Sierra Hills, for another contract bargaining session. ... Throughout the strike, employees said they were fighting for a better contract primarily for the health and safety of the residents and the employees, claiming the existing working conditions are unsafe. ... Wilkinson said the primary concern of the employees is safety issues that result from employees performing out-of-scope duties. ... For Sierra Hills staff, [being required to provide out of scope care] began when Edgewood introduced hospice care at Sierra Hills a few years ago, shortly after the pandemic. There are hospice nurses who are at the facility a couple of hours per week to care for the residents, but the rest of the time, the burden of care often falls to the CNAs and RNs on the clock. In situations where timely care is needed, employees have said it can be difficult to get the help of a hospice nurse in time.

Physician engagement in addressing health-related social needs and burnoutJAMA Network Open; Masami Tabata-Kelly, MBA, MA; Xiaochu Hu, PhD; Michael J. Dill, MA; Philip M. Alberti, PhD; Karen Bullock, PhD, LICSW, APHSW-C; William Crown, PhD; Malika Fair, MD, MPH; Peter May, PhD; Pilar Ortega, MD; Jennifer Perloff, PhD; 12/24In this cross-sectional study of 5,447 nationally representative physicians in the US, 34.3% regularly dedicated time to addressing HRSNs [health-related social needs]. The study identified variability in physicians’ engagement in addressing HRSNs and found that higher engagement was associated with a greater likelihood of burnout. The findings suggest the need for thorough assessment of the potential unintended consequences of physicians’ engagement in addressing HRSNs on their well-being.

End-of-life care can be more aggressive for cancer patients with defibrillators Medical Xpress; by UT Southwestern Medical Center; 1/8/25 Patients with advanced cancer who also had cardiac defibrillators were more likely than those without these implants to receive aggressive end-of-life care, a team led by UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers found in a new study. The findings, published in Cancer, could help physicians guide patients in this growing population toward care that better matches their goals. ... The findings showed that about 6% of patients with advanced cancer also had [implantable cardioverter defibrillators] ICDs. However, significantly more of the ICD patients received aggressive care during the last month of their lives compared to those without these devices.

Nearly 5,000 Providence Oregon workers issue strike notice Becker's Hospital Review; by Kristin Kuchno; 12/30/24 Nearly 5,000 front-line healthcare workers from Providence Oregon hospitals plan to begin an open-ended strike Jan. 10. The Oregon Nurses Association issued a 10-day notice following intensive bargaining, according to a Dec. 30 news release from the union. The striking workers include physicians, nurses and other healthcare staff from all eight Providence Oregon hospitals and six clinics. The union is urging Providence to invest in patient safety and provide competitive wages and benefits to support recruitment and retention efforts. ... Providence Oregon has secured replacement workers and identified other strategies to maintain patient care, Chief Executive Jennifer Burrows, RN, said in a message to caregivers shared with Becker's. She said the system has communicated to union leaders that bargaining stops during a work stoppage to prioritize patient care.

[Cure] Top palliative care stories from 2024 Cure; by Alex Biese; 12/28/24 This year, CURE® worked to provide education and insight that underscored the importance of palliative care in cancer treatment. Early integration of palliative care, whether through in-person visits, telehealth or ongoing emotional support, can make a significant difference in a patient's quality of life. Here are some of the top articles on the topic of palliative care from 2024.

Physician union drives skyrocketed in 2023 and 2024, data show MDedge - Cardiology; by Randy Dotinga; 12/20/24 While fewer than 10% of US physicians are unionized, the number of official union drives among private-sector doctors have skyrocketed in the last 2 years, compared with 2 decades prior, according to a new study.  Researchers counted 21 union drives in 2023 and 12 in the first 5 months of 2024, compared with 0-6 drives each year between 2000 and 2022. If the 2023 and 2024 drives succeed, unions will represent 3523 new physicians — nearly equal to the 3541 doctors who sought unionization between 2000 and 2022. “We were able to document a significant uptick in union petitions and success in certification drives,” said corresponding author Hayden Rooke-Ley, JD, of the Center for Advancing Health Policy Through Research, Brown University School of Public Health, Providence, Rhode Island. “We were surprised to see such a marked shift in 2023.” ... The study authors launched their research to better understand trends in physician unionization in light of high-profile union drives, especially among residents. Rooke-Ley said: “We suspected that declining morale and increased corporate employment for physicians were leading them to consider unionization.”