Neurologists Winnie K. Lau, MD, and David Y. Hwang, MD, highlight needed research in the emerging field of neuropalliative care.
Tag: Palliative Care
UniSA research gives voice to rural people in palliative care
Supporting a loved one as they near the end of their life can be confronting. Palliative care is there to help but such services are not equally accessible to all Australians, particularly those in rural areas.
SLU Study: Integrative Palliative Care Critical to Improve Mental Health Among Pancreatic Cancer Patients
For patients facing a pancreatic cancer diagnosis, a compassionate approach to care can be transformative. Yet, a new study published in Healthcare reveals that palliative care, a service focused on enhancing the quality of life for those with serious illnesses, remains significantly underutilized among pancreatic cancer patients in the United States.
SLU Study: Black Patients with Heart Failure Less Likely to Receive Palliative Care
A study by researchers at Saint Louis University shows that only one in eight patients with heart failure in the United States receive palliative care consultations within five years of diagnosis. The study also highlighted significant racial and geographic disparities. Black people were 15% less likely to receive palliative care compared to their white counterparts.
Rural pharmacists are pivotal to home-based palliative care
Pharmacists are being recognised for their vital role in supporting home-based rural palliative care patients, as new research shows that they not only enable patients to choose to stay at home, but also provide significant relief, comfort, and peace of mind for patients, carers, and family members.
Screening Tool Streamlines Requests for Palliative Care Consultations
An initiative at Bon Secours Mercy Health Anderson hospital in Cincinnati demonstrates the potential impact of integrating a simple screening tool at the point of admission to trigger automatic referrals for palliative care consultations for critically ill patients.
Palliative care leader receives prestigious ASCO Special Award
The American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) recognized Janet L. Abrahm, MD, FACP, FAAHPM, of Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Brigham and Women’s Hospital, as a recipient of an ASCO Special Award, the Society’s highest honor.
A beautiful death: living well at the end of life
A new study from the University of South Australia hopes to gain a better understanding of what is working well in rural palliative care, with the goal of improving knowledge and access to palliative care in rural and remote areas.
NCCN Expands Focus on Quality of Life and Supportive Care with New Guides for People with Cancer
National Comprehensive Cancer Network publishes free NCCN Guidelines for Patients with information on improving well-being and reducing suffering and distress for people with cancer; available at NCCN.org/patientguidelines.
New Study Shows Insurance Coverage Disruptions Affect Key Cancer Screenings for U.S. Adults
A new study by researchers at the American Cancer Society shows that adults in the United States with prior insurance coverage disruptions are significantly less likely to receive guideline-concordant and past-year cancer screening, compared to people with continuous coverage.
Using recent diagnostic scans can substantially cut time to treatment for patients needing urgent palliation
Using previously taken diagnostic computed tomography (CT) scans in place of CT simulation scans to plan simple palliative radiation treatments can substantially reduce the time some people spend waiting for urgent treatment, improving the patient experience, a new study suggests.
Dying well: helping rural communities access palliative supports
Talking about a serious illness, dying, death and grief can be hard. But when it comes to end-of-life decisions, knowing what supports are available can make all the difference.
Penn Medicine Researchers Awarded $27.5 Million for Large Palliative Care Study
A Penn Medicine research team has been approved for a $27.5 million funding award from the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) for a large study on effectively and equitably scaling and delivering inpatient palliative care.
New Study Shows Medicaid Expansion Associated With Increase in Palliative Care for Patients With Advanced Cancers
More people with advanced cancers in the United States received critical palliative care services, according to new findings by researchers at the American Cancer Society. Medicaid expansion under the ACA was associated with the largest increases in palliative care use.
Patients With Alzheimer Disease, Dementia Face 2x Risk of Dying After ICU Discharge
Older adults with Alzheimer disease and related dementia who were admitted to an ICU were much less likely to be discharged home and faced almost twice the risk of dying soon after discharge and within the 12 months afterward.
ICUconnect App Helped Clinicians Address Unmet Palliative Care Needs Across Course of ICU Care
In a randomized controlled trial, ICUconnect helped ICU physicians to reduce unmet palliative care needs of critically ill patients and their families better than standard care did, according to research published at the ATS 2023 International Conference.
URI business professor, colleagues look at mortality and leadership succession in family business
By 2030, more than 30% of family businesses in the U.S. will lose their aging leaders to retirement, or death. Many of those leaders don’t have a strategy for letting go of their business, turning it over to a successor, or selling it. While it is rare for an incumbent leader to die while in office, it is difficult for them to face their mortality.
A Leader Fighting the Overdose Crisis Urges Standardizing Addiction Medicine Education and Supporting New DEA Requirements
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and The National Vital Statistics System, drug-related overdose deaths have been rising over the past two decades in the United States. In 2021, 106,699 drug overdose deaths occurred. Adults aged 65 and over…
Palliative Care Doesn’t Improve Psychological Distress
Palliative care — a specialized medical care focused on quality of life for people with a serious illness such as cancer or heart failure — isn’t likely to reduce psychological distress, according to a Rutgers study.
Ochsner Medical Center – New Orleans Awarded Palliative Care Certification from The Joint Commission
Ochsner Medical Center – New Orleans (OMC-New Orleans) has earned The Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval® for Palliative Care Certification.
MD Anderson Research Highlights for November 30, 2022
The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center’s Research Highlights provides a glimpse into recent basic, translational and clinical cancer research from MD Anderson experts.
New palliative care screening tool for surgical ICU patients may facilitate decision-making processes, reduce burden on families, medical staff
A research team at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill has developed a screening tool to identify—within seconds—patients who may benefit from palliative care consultations or goals of care discussions.
Patients’ Families Are A Key Factor in End-of-Life Care at Rural Hospitals
Nurses at critical access hospitals rate family behaviors and attitudes as dominant factors to providing end-of-life care, similar to their counterparts at large, urban medical centers, suggesting that caring for dying patients has much in common regardless of rural or urban location
MD Anderson Research Highlights: ASCO 2022 Special Edition
This special edition features upcoming oral presentations by MD Anderson researchers at the 2022 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting focused on quality improvement, health services research, new treatments for skin cancers, and symptoms and survivorship advances. More information on ASCO content from MD Anderson can be found at MDAnderson.org/ASCO.
Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation Research Explores Quality and Access to Patient Care
The Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation announced research results from four studies examining access to care and outcomes for patients living with pulmonary fibrosis and interstitial lung disease.
Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation Position Statement Recommends Addressing Palliative Care Early in Patient Journey
New Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation (PFF) position statement advises that pulmonologists who treat patients with pulmonary fibrosis (PF) explore palliative care resources available in their communities to facilitate early referral and better quality of life.
Growing Use of Mechanical Circulatory Support Affects Clinician Well-Being, Moral Distress
The growing use of mechanical circulatory support may contribute to high levels of moral distress for clinicians who regularly care for ICU patients receiving the aggressive but life-sustaining therapy, according to a study by researchers at Columbia University Irving Medical Center.
New UNLV Program Training Next Generation of Occupational Therapists
UNLV’s new intensive and innovative three-year doctoral program in occupational therapy, housed in the School of Integrated Health Sciences, is training students to meet the needs of Nevada patients — from babies in the NICU to those recovering from accidents and strokes — reclaim their lives.
Palliative Care for Cancer Patients: How does it Help?
For cancer patients undergoing treatments, palliative care can provide excellent pain and symptom management that can help them feel better. Palliative care experts at Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey
answer common questions about how palliative care can enhance quality of life for patients to highlight palliative care and cancer pain awareness month.
Palliative Care for Cancer Patients: How does it Help?
For cancer patients undergoing treatments, palliative care can provide excellent pain and symptom management that can help them feel better. Palliative care experts at Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey
answer common questions about how palliative care can enhance quality of life for patients to highlight palliative care and cancer pain awareness month.
Using Computation to Improve Words: Model Offers Novel Tool for Improving Serious Illness Conversations
Conversations between seriously ill people, their families and palliative care specialists lead to better quality-of-life. Understanding what happens during these conversations – and how they vary by cultural, clinical, and situational contexts – is essential to guide healthcare communication improvement efforts. To gain true understanding, new methods to study conversations in large, inclusive, and multi-site epidemiological studies are required. A new computer model offers an automated and valid tool for such large-scale scientific analyses.
Statewide quality improvement project reduced excessive radiation treatments for bone metastases by 80%
An effort by the Michigan Radiation Oncology Quality Consortium reduced unnecessary radiation therapy procedures, and saved the time and resources of patients and families.
Older Adults with Functional Impairments Linked to Prescription Drug Use/Misuse
Researchers at University of California San Diego School of Medicine found that functional impairments among adults aged 50 and older are associated with a higher risk of medical cannabis use; and prescription opioid and tranquilizer/sedative use and misuse.
End-of-life care remains aggressive for people with ovarian cancer, study finds
People with ovarian cancer frequently receive aggressive end-of-life care despite industry guidelines that emphasize quality of life for those with advanced disease, according to a recent study.

Mexico’s poor have little luck obtaining opioids intended for palliative care
Despite a Mexican government initiative launched in 2015 to improve access to prescription opioids among palliative care patients, the country has seen only a marginal increase in dispensing levels, and inequities in dispensing have left many of the nation’s poorest residents without comfort in their final days
Perception of Palliative Care in South Asian populations
Funded by a McMaster University, Department of Family Medicine, Pilot Research Project Funding Grant, the observational study is one of the few person-centered palliative care studies focused on the South Asian community outside India. The results showed that seventy per cent of participants in the study had a lack of understanding of palliative care and forty-four per cent thought that palliative care went against their values and beliefs.

Post-ICU Interviews Reveal Outcomes Important to Patients, Families
A Penn Medicine study in American Journal of Critical Care offers insights into patients’ and families’ priorities for quality metrics during the ICU stay and postdischarge outcomes. Researchers conducted interviews with individual ICU survivors, as well as family caregivers of patients who survived and of patients who died.
What does ‘do not resuscitate’ mean? Varying interpretations may affect patient care, reports American Journal of Nursing
When patients have a do-not-resuscitate (DNR) order, it means they have chosen not to receive cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). But hospital nurses report significant variations in the way DNR orders are perceived or acted on in clinical practice, reports a survey study in the January issue of the American Journal of Nursing (AJN). The journal is published in the Lippincott portfolio by Wolters Kluwer.

COVID-19 Pandemic Amplifies Need to Integrate Palliative Care Into ICUs
Critical care nurses are ideally positioned to drive full integration of palliative care into the care of all patients who are seriously ill, including patients with COVID-19.
Alabama Symphony Orchestra musicians perform virtual concerts for sickest COVID-19 patients at UAB Hospital
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the sickest patients at the University of Alabama at Birmingham Hospital have had their troubles eased, however briefly, thanks to an innovative musical project. Helping those patients recover — and keeping their spirits up amid the isolation the virus requires — is the motivation for the project, an effort between UAB health care staff and the Alabama Symphony Orchestra.

Palliative Nursing’s Role During COVID-19 and Beyond
As a rapid influx of patients overwhelmed health systems during the coronavirus pandemic, palliative nurses played dual roles supporting patients, patient families, and colleagues. Two researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing (Penn Nursing) are among those detailing the important role palliative care has in responding during the COVID-19 pandemic and in future public health crises.

JNCCN: Many Hospitalized People with Advanced Cancer Struggle with Important Daily Tasks
New research from Mass General Cancer Center, published in the June 2020 issue of JNCCN—Journal of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network, found 40.2% of hospitalized patients with advanced, incurable cancer were functionally impaired at the time of admission.

Research News Tip Sheet: Story Ideas From Johns Hopkins
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Johns Hopkins Medicine Media Relations is focused on disseminating current, accurate and useful information to the public via the media. As part of that effort, we are distributing our “COVID-19 Tip Sheet: Story Ideas from Johns Hopkins” every Tuesday throughout the duration of the outbreak.

Shifting the Patterns That Contribute to Ethical Conflicts
A four-step process can help nurses and other healthcare professionals identify patterns behind ethical challenges and reveal new approaches to guide communication and decision-making, according to the ethics column in AACN Advanced Critical Care

Ruth S. Waterman, MD, Named Chair of the Department of Anesthesiology
Ruth S. Waterman, MD, has been named chair of the Department of Anesthesiology at University of California San Diego School of Medicine and UC San Diego Health.

Rutgers Experts Available to Discuss Their First-Hand Experience of Connecting Dying Covid-19 Patients with Family
Since hospitals implemented no-visitor policies, health care providers and patient advocates have stepped in, using cell phones and iPads to connect Covid-19 patients with loved ones.
Noticing the need for patient and family support services in the medical intensive care unit at University Hospital in Newark, Jenna Marcus, an assistant professor at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School and gynecologic oncologist at Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey, launched the “Palliative Care Mobile Unit” with the support of hospital administration.
Public does not grasp idea of ‘futile treatment’ for critically ill patients
A new UCLA study suggests the general public does not fully grasp the meaning of the terms “futile treatment” or “potentially inappropriate treatment,” although the concept is important to understand so that families can make fully informed decisions for their loved ones.
Cannabis Use Among Older Adults has Increased 75 Percent Since 2015
Cannabis use continues to increase in popularity among adults 65 years of age and older in the United States, according to a new study from NYU Grossman School of Medicine.
Rising Rate of Palliative Care Involvement for Children with Ventricular Assist Devices
Critically ill children with heart disease requiring support with a ventricular assist device (VAD) are increasingly likely to receive palliative care services, reports a study in the ASAIO Journal, official journal of ASAIO. The journal is published in the Lippincott portfolio by Wolters Kluwer.

Nurse-researcher to help develop tribal palliative care programs
Delivering palliative care to rural, frontier areas is difficult, but the lack of infrastructure makes developing programs for three Northern Plains Indian tribes even more challenging.