Study recommends introducing pediatric palliative care early Pediatric palliative care should be introduced early into disease-modifying treatment, according to a study reported in Journal of Palliative Medicine. Juyoun Yu, PhD, RN, at Suwon Women’s University in South Korea, was the lead author of the paper, which reported results from a nationwide survey of physicians and their responses. Overall, about 10% of the physicians responded and their confidence in palliative care was low. Oncologists preferred earlier referrals than did non-oncologists. The authors also recommended developing education for healthcare providers caring for children with severe illnesses.

November 13, 2019

Learn More

People on the Move Spotlight: Nicki Vithalani, MD, has joined the palliative care staff of Geisinger Lewistown Hospital in Lewistown, PA. She also will see palliative care patients at Geisinger Lewistown’s Community Cancer Treatment Center. She completed medical school at King’s College London and a family medicine residency at Penn State Health. She previously worked in the United Kingdom for the National Health Service. More People on the Move… Edo Banach, president and CEO of the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO), was appointed to the strategic advisory board of CareCentrix in Hartford, CT. … Jennifer Voegtline was named CEO of Lake Superior Life Care & Hospice in Marquette, MI. … George Demiris, PhD, FACMI, Penn Integrates Knowledge University Professor at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, and co-founder of the Hospice Caregiving Research Network, was elected to the membership of the National Academy of Medicine. … Elizabeth Weinstein, MD, former associate medical director for Hospice of the Western Reserve in OH has joined the Cleveland Clinic’s palliative medicine program. … Grant M. Smith, MD, at the University of California, San Francisco, wrote a Personal Reflection in Journal of Palliative Medicine about providing home-based palliative care. … Samantha Jones RN, BSN, MSN, an adult and geriatric primary care nurse practitioner at the Steward Center for Palliative Care in Savannah, GA, has become an advanced certified hospice and palliative nurse through the Hospice and Palliative Care Nursing Association. … Joe Mooney has joined The Connecticut Hospice in Branford as chief operating officer and chief financial officer. … Sarah A. Korones, BA, at the University of Rochester (NY) School of Medicine and Dentistry, wrote a reflections piece in Journal of Palliative Medicine about the importance of being present. … Vercin Ephrem, MD, president of medical staff at LRGHealthcare in Loconia, NH, received the Millham Leadership Award from the Central New Hampshire VNA & Hospice. Please send us your People on the Move news. Concern by nurses can accurately predict patient deterioration Researchers from the Mayo Clinic reported in JAMIA Open that the worry shown by nurses about a patient accurately predicted a deterioration in that patient’s condition over the subsequent 24 hours. Santiago Romero-Brufau, MD, and colleagues, recorded more than 31,000 nursing shifts for 3,185 unique patients. Nurses with more than a year’s experience were better able to predict deterioration than newer nurses.  Link to source >> Foundation releases residents’ views about end-of-life care The California Health Care Foundation released a white paper about Californians’ experiences with end-of-life care. “Help Wanted: Californians’ Views and Experiences of Serious Illness and End-of-Life Care” explores what the state’s residents would prefer if they were diagnosed with a serious illness. They found 90% of respondents would want palliative care but, in actuality, only 40% received such care. Most respondents said they would prefer to die a natural death than have physicians try to prolong their lives. Seventy-one percent wanted to die at home, but only 36% of Californians died at home in 2017.  Link to source>> Hospice trains pre-med students in compassion through service Hospice of Evangelical and Bucknell University, both in Lewisburg, PA, have partnered to offer pre-med students a real-life service experience requiring compassion. The program aims to instill a sense of humanity in the students. The volunteers receive volunteer training, make regular visits to hospice patients, and offer ongoing support to those patients. Volunteers may join their patients in playing games or reading. A grant from the Athena Institute supports the program.  Link to source>> Model addresses end-of-life communication in teens, young adults Adolescents and young adults with cancer face unique medical and psychosocial challenges. An international team of researchers propose a new model to support clinicians and researchers to better understand how different factors affect end-of-life communication with this age group in clinical settings, according to a study in Journal of Adolescent and Young Adult Oncology. Ursula M. Sansom-Daly, PhD, at Sydney Children’s Hospital in Australia, was the lead author of the paper, describing the model and some best-practice recommendations to help clinicians with these discussions. Journal of Adolescent and Young Adult Oncology is published by Mary Ann Liebert Inc.  Link to source>> Lymphoma patients may underestimate disease severity Patients with aggressive B cell lymphomas discussed curability, prognosis, and treatment goals with their medical team—yet less than one-third of patients reported being terminally ill, according to a study in Journal of Palliative Medicine. Kelly M. Trevino, PhD, at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York, was the lead author of the cross-sectional observational study. The study found most patients had a health care proxy and had decided about do-not-resuscitate status, but the majority had not completed a living will or discussed their care preferences with others.  Link to source>> CMS offers free webinar on the Hospice Quality Reporting Program The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services will present a free webinar, on November 14, 2019, at 2 p.m. Eastern, for Medicare-certified hospice providers about the Hospice Quality Reporting Program and its requirements. Topics include the compliance cycle and how to ensure compliance, survey requirements and selection of survey research vendors.  Link to source>> Acceptance of supportive care growing within oncology Tracy A. Balboni, MD, MPH, FAAHPM, was the lead author of a paper published in the American Society of Clinical Oncology Educational Book which found supportive care services and integrative medicine have grown and experienced increased acceptance in oncology care. Together, palliative and integrative care can improve lung cancer patients’ experiences. The American College of Chest Physicians has a guiding framework for integrating complementary therapies.  Link to source>> MJHS offers free downloads for professionals and patients The MJHS Institute for Innovation in Palliative Care in New York has posted 15 free palliative care and symptom management factsheets and patient educational materials that are downloadable in several languages. The organization also has completed an interactive e-learning course about developing a palliative care program. One of the modules is available at no cost.  Link to source>> High school group grants hospice patient’s last wishes Bob Betts, an 85-year-old patient at The Villas at Green Valley in Arizona, wanted to hear a jazz band and eat an Italian dinner with chocolate cake. Members of a local high school DreamCatchers group in Tucson, AZ, worked to fulfill his wishes, with the help of musicians from two high schools playing jazz, a restaurant donating trays of food, and a student baked a cake. Betts clapped throughout the concert.  Link to source>>