Literature Review

Facing dementia: clarifying end-of-life choices, supporting better lives EurekAlert!, by The Hastings Center; 3/11/24A new Hastings Center special report considers how America’s aging society responds to the needs and concerns of people facing dementia. ... Three essays reconsider familiar ways of thinking and talking about decision-making and care concerning people nearing the end of life to better reflect the needs and concerns of people facing dementia. For example, “Too Soon or Too Late: Rethinking the Significance of Six Months When Dementia Is a Primary Diagnosis” takes a critical look at the “six-month rule.”

When health care is woven in our family fabric, we find support in unexpected places Oncology Nursing Society (ONS) Voice, by Suzanne M. Mahon, DNS, RN, AOCN®, AGN-BC, FAAN; 3/7/24... We have a built-in support system in our family. We understand all of those feelings and stressors in each other. We just get it. ... Where is your dinner table of support? Who is your go-to person who just gets it and listens? My husband and daughters support me, and I also have friends from nursing school, the workplace, and ONS who support me. They make all the difference in the world. Today, take time to thank your own support team.

Compassionate extubation and beyond: Is there a need for more guidance in managing end-of-life in the intensive care unit? Chest Physician, by Angela L. Birdwell, DO, MA; Nehan Sher, MD  Approximately 20% of deaths in the United States occur during or shortly after a stay in the ICU and approximately 40% of ICU deaths involve withdrawal of artificial life support (WOALS) or compassionate extubation. ... How the team approaches WOALS can make a difference to both patients and decision-makers. Unfortunately, there is striking variation in practice and lack of guidance in navigating issues that arise at end-of-life in the ICU. 

Healthcare access dimensions and racial disparities in end-of-life care quality among ovarian cancer patients Cancer Research Communications; by Shama Karanth, Oyomoare L. Osazuwa-Peters; Lauren E. Wilson, Rebecca A. Previs, Fariha Rahman, Bin Huang, Maria Pisu, Margaret Liang, Kevin C. Ward, Maria J. Schymura, Andrew Berchuck, and Tomi F. Akinyemiju; 3/5/24 This study investigated the association between healthcare access (HCA) dimensions and racial disparities in end-of-life (EOL) care quality among Non-Hispanic Black (NHB), Non-Hispanic White (NHW), and Hispanic patients with ovarian cancer (OC).

Creating comfort through communication: Strategies for supporting mental wellbeing in palliative careWorldHealth.net; 3/4/24... To provide comprehensive and compassionate care, this article explores the various strategies for communicating and supporting mental well-being in palliative care. 

Opinion: How death can be the chance to serve others WAtoday, by Annie Whitlock; 3/3/24 I see my death as an opportunity to serve others ... . A few years ago, I offered my corpse to the department of anatomy and physiology at the University of Melbourne. The university co-ordinates a body donor program for the purposes of anatomical examination and the precious teaching and study of anatomy to its medical students. ... To the medical students who will be learning from my body I gave the department the following letter: I give you my body. ... Learn from me this one last time. So my organs, flesh and scars tell of times and outcomes that in death I cannot utter any more. ...

Writing condolence cards supports nurses as well as deceased patients’ families ONS Voice, by Casey S. Kennedy; 2/29/24During extended treatment and end-of-life care, patients, their family and caregivers, and the healthcare team can form close bonds and relationships. Those ties are abruptly severed when a patient dies, leaving each party to grieve alone. For healthcare professionals, sending a condolence card can provide closure for themselves and support for a deceased patient’s family, a team of nurses reported in an article published in the December 2023 issue of the Clinical Journal of Oncology Nursing.

Facing dementia: Clarifying end-of-life choices, supporting better lives The Hastings Center; 2/28/24The report includes 10 recommendations for policymakers, research funders, clinical and legal practitioners, and professional societies. ... “Facing Dementia: Clarifying End-of-Life Choices, Supporting Better Lives” is the major product of a Hastings Center research project, codirected by Hastings senior research scholar Nancy Berlinger and President Emerita Mildred Z. Solomon. 

Right-sizing interprofessional team training for serious-illness communication: A strength-based approach PEC Innvov, by Liana Eskola, Ethan Silverman, Sarah Rogers, Amy Zelenski; distributed 2/28/24Objective: Palliative care communication skills help tailor care to patients' goals. With a palliative care physician shortage, non-physicians must gain these serious illness communication skills. Historically, trainings have targeted physician-only groups; our goal was to train interprofessional teams.

Embracing the platinum rule in palliative care: Treating patients the way they want to be treated Anschutz, by Tari Advani, MD; 2/26/24 One of the first take aways from this journey, for me, in a mid-career directional change from emergency medicine to palliative care was a move away from the golden rule and towards the platinum rule. Treat patients the way they want to be treated, not the way we want to be treated. It is so simple, it allows people to exist in their own context, with their own histories and their own wishes. And, we, as caretakers, take the kind of care of them that they want. Where had that idea been during the past 20 years of my career? How many situations had I judged, wrongly, based on my own preferences, not the preferences of the patient.

Racial differences in shared decision-making about critical illnessJAMA Intern Med, by Deepshikha C. Ashana, MD, MBA, MS; Whitney Welsh, PhD; Doreet Preiss, PhD; et al; published online 2/26/24Question: How do critical care clinicians approach shared decision-making with Black compared with White caregivers of critically ill patients?Findings: In a thematic analysis of 39 audio-recorded clinician-caregiver meetings, racial differences were most evident in the following clinician behaviors: providing emotional support to caregivers, acknowledging trust and gratitude expressed by caregivers, disclosing medical information, and validating caregivers' treatment preferences.

Being there for a loved one's final breaths NextAvenue, by Elaine Soloway; 2/26/24"I'll be downstairs," I told him one night. "And I'll be up to kiss you goodnight before I go to sleep." He smiled and squeezed my hand. I had barely settled on the couch when the hospice worker appeared at the top of the stairs. "He's gone," she said. I learned this pause is not unusual. Hospice workers report that some people who are dying wait to be alone for their final breaths.

Advance praise for Oncology and Palliative Social Work: Psychosocial Care for People coping with Cancer Oxford Academic - Oxford University Press; 2/23/24Oncology and Palliative Social Work: Psychosocial Care for People Coping With Cancer (OPSW) fills an important gap in the serious illness literature. The book illustrates the need for integrating palliative care early in the lives of patients with cancer and illuminates the important role that social workers have in providing psychosocial support services across the cancer trajectory.