The primary focus of this literature search is selected articles, etc., on key issues in end-of-life care for which the full text is available online. Added, however, are a few noteworthy articles, etc., but for which access to the full text is available only with a subscription or for a one-time fee for the article in question.1 Also listed are a few postings of special interest on key websites that serve the hospice and palliative care communities-at-large, and selected news media reports. The next listing will be published in approximately four to six weeks.
Articles of particular interest.
Libraries in educational institutions and medical centres may have a subscription to the journal in question and hold a photocopying licence, which may facilitate cost-effective access.
Related:
Website Posting of Interest: ‘Building a society where everyone is guaranteed a dignified closure of life,’ Ministry of Health & Welfare, Government of South Korea, 4 April 2024.
Related:
News Media Reports of Interest: ‘End of life: Despite the development of palliative care, inequalities in access persist in France,’ Daily News, 12 March 2024; ‘Change in government brings no improvement in access to end-of-life care,’ Winnipeg Free Press (Canada), 8 March 2024.
Related:
4.2 ‘The synergy of legal and medical palliative care: Challenges and opportunities in palliative medical legal partnership and the Yale experience,’ Journal of Law Medicine & Ethics. Posted online 13 March 2024. Full text
Related:
5.2 ‘Challenges of palliative care identified by stakeholders in resource-limited settings: A multi-regional study in Kazakhstan,’ Journal of Cancer Policy. Posted online 19 March 2024. Full text
Related:
10.2 ‘The global crisis of loneliness: A call for contextualised, mechanistic research,’ The Lancet Healthy Longevity. Posted online 12 March 2024. Full text
Related:
Website Posting of Interest: ‘Palliative care: Where India stands in the “business of compassion,”’ Indian School of Business, 4 April 2024.
Related:
1.2 ‘Core components of end-of-life care in nursing education programs: A scoping review,’ BMC Palliative Care (Iran). Posted online 28 March 2024. Full text
1.3 ‘The need for palliative care education and training in Liberia and Indonesia: A review of the literature,’ Mosul Journal of Nursing, 2024;12(1):13-28. Full text
1.4 ‘Transforming education: Developing a practice-ready workforce,’ International Journal of Nursing Sciences (U.S.). Posted online 5 March 2024. Full text
Website Posting of Interest: ‘From training to transformation: Palliative care development in Sri Lanka – an Asia Pacific Hospice Palliative Care Network report,’ eHospice, 7 April 2024.
News Media Report of Interest: ‘New Zealand-wide morphine shortage impacting palliative care, new stock months away,’ NewstalkZB, 2 April 2024.
N.B. Article in print.
Website Postings of Interest: ‘Research in hospices: Why it matters to patients,’ eHospice (U.K.), 21 March 2024; ‘What’s your impact? Mobilising palliative care research through dissemination,’ European Association for Palliative Care, 5 March 2024.
Oncology
Related:
1.2 ‘Dignity and support after cancer: We need to talk about palliative care,’ The Lancet Regional Health – Americas. 1 Posted online 19 March 2024. Full text
1.3 ‘Palliative care in the older adult with cancer and the role of the geriatrician: A narrative review,’ Annals of Palliative Medicine (U.S.). Posted online 15 March 2024. Full text (click on PDF icon)
1.4 ‘Use of machine learning to optimize referral for early palliative Care: Are prognostic predictions enough?’ Journal of Clinical Oncology (U.S.). Posted online 15 March 2024. Full text
1.5 ‘Shared decision-making in palliative cancer care: A systematic review and metasynthesis,’ Palliative Medicine (Norway, U.K.). Posted online 13 March 2024. Full text
1.6 ‘Enhanced supportive care in cancer centres: National cross-sectional survey,’ BMJ Supportive & Palliative Care (U.K.). Posted online 12 March 2024. Full text
1.7 ‘Effect of education on symptom management and control in cancer patients receiving palliative care,’ Pain Management Nursing (Turkey). Posted online 12 March 2024. Abstract
(w. intro., section snippets, refs., etc.)1.8 ‘Why is end-of-life inpatient cost high among cancer patients? A prospective cohort study,’ Cancer Medicine (Singapore). Posted online 8 March 2024. Full text
1.9 ‘Enhancing hospitalized patients’ palliative care referrals via machine learning-based predictive modeling within electronic health record systems,’ Indian Journal of Medical & Paediatric Oncology (India). Posted online 22 January 2024. Full text
Community & Home-Based Palliative Care
Related:
2.2 ‘Home symptom management training programme: Carer evaluation,’ BMJ Supportive & Palliative Care (Australia). Posted online 2 April 2024. Full text
2.3 ‘Developing a dynamic conceptual model of a home-based palliative care Plan using the comprehensive primary health care approach,’ National Journal of Community Medicine (India). Posted online 1 April 2024. Full text (click on PDF icon)
2.4 ‘“Has anyone been there now?”: An interview study on the support experiences and unmet needs of informal long-distance caregivers for patients at the end of life,’ Omega – Journal of Death & Dying (Germany). Posted online 28 March 2024. Full text
2.5 ‘A qualitative exploration of the role of a palliative care pharmacist providing home-based care in the rural setting, from the perspective of health care professionals,’ Australian Journal of Rural Health (Australia). Posted online 27 March 2024. Full text
2.6 ‘Dying at home: What is needed? Findings from a nationwide retrospective cross-sectional online survey of bereaved people in Germany,’ Palliative & Supportive Care. Posted online 25 March 2024. Full text
2.7 ‘Top-down and bottom-up or participation through action? How to build a compassionate community – the experience of Caring Community Cologne,’ Palliative Care & Social Practice (Germany). Posted online 24 March 2024. Full text
2.8 ‘The roles of French community pharmacists in palliative home care,’ BMC Palliative Care (France). Posted online 23 March 2024. Full text Full text
2.9 ‘Facilitating planned home death: A qualitative study on home care nurses’ experiences of enablers and barriers,’ Journal of Advance Nursing (Norway). Posted online 21 March 2024. Full text
2.10 ‘The determinants of actual place of death among non-cancer patients with end-stage chronic health conditions: A scoping review,’ Palliative Care & Social Practice (U.S.). Posted online 19 March 2024. Full text
2.11 ‘Mortality risk following end-of-life caregiving: A population-based analysis of hospice users and their families,’ Social Science & Medicine (U.S.). Posted online 16 March 2024. Abstract
(w. intro., section snippets, refs., etc.)2.12 ‘Needs and experiences of homecare workers when supporting people to live at home at the end of life: A rapid review,’ BMJ Supportive & Palliative Care (U.K.). Posted online 15 March 2024. Full text
2.13 ‘District nurses experiences in providing terminal care in rural and more urban districts. A qualitative study from the Faroe Islands,’ Scandanavian Journal of Primary Health Care (Denmark). Posted online 14 March 2024. Full text
2.14 ‘Nursing activities for health promotion in palliative home care: An integrative review,’ Palliative Care & Social Practice (Canada). Posted online 13 March 2024. Full text
2.15 ‘Nurse assistants’ perception of caring for older persons who are dying in their own home,’ BMC Palliative Care (Sweden). Posted online 12 March 2024. Full text
2.16 ‘Telehealth-facilitated palliative care enables more people to die at home: An analysis of clinical outcomes and service activity data,’ Research Square (Australia). Posted online 12 March 2024. Full text
N.B. This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal.
2.17 ‘Dying in the margins: Experiences of dying at home for people living with financial hardship and deprivation,’ Qualitative Research in Health (New Zealand, U.K.). Posted online 11 March 2024. Full text
2.18 ‘Family physicians’ preferences for education to support family caregivers: A sequential mixed methods study,’ BMC Primary Care (Canada). Posted online 7 March 2024. Full text
2.19 ‘Barriers faced by healthcare providers during home visits of palliative care patients: A qualitative study,’ Indian Journal of Palliative Care (India). Posted online 16 February 2024. Full text
Website Posting of Interest: ‘Collaborating with communities: Transforming end-of-life experiences together,’ eHospice (U.K.), 3 April 2024.
News Media Report of Interest: ‘The current state of community-based palliative care,’ Hospice News (U.S.), 4 March 2024.
Care Planning & Serious Illness Conversations
Related:
3.2 ‘Adapting the Serious Illness Conversation Guide for Unhoused Older Adults: A rapid qualitative study,’ Research Square (U.S.). Posted online 5 April 2024. Full text
N.B. This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal.
3.3 ‘Core competencies for serious illness conversations: An integrative systematic review,’ Journal of Palliative Care (Sweden). Posted online 1 April 2024. Full text
3.4 ‘Advance care planning as perceived by marginalized populations: Willing to engage and facing obstacles,’ Plos One (U.S.). Posted online 1 April 2024. Full text
3.5 ‘Implementing advance care planning in palliative and end of life care: A scoping review of community nursing perspectives,’ BMC Geriatrics (U.K.). Posted online 28 March 2024. Full text
3.6 ‘Measuring patients’ medical treatment preferences in advance care planning: Development and validation of the Treat-Me-ACP instrument – a secondary analysis of a cluster-randomized controlled trial,’ BMC Palliative Care (Germany). Posted online 21 March 2024. Full text
3.7 ‘To plan or not to plan? Experiences and challenges of older Swiss adults facing end-of-life decisions,’ Omega – Journal of Death & Dying (Switzerland). Posted online 14 March 2024. Full text
3.8 ‘Measuring decision aid effectiveness for end-of-life care: A systematic review,’ PEC Innovation (U.S.). Posted online 13 March 2024. Full text
3.9 ‘Contributing to non-concordance between end-of-life care and advance care planning,’ Journal of Pain & Symptom Management (Taiwan). Posted online 11 March 2024. Full text
3.10 ‘Novel approach to advance directive training: Palliative Fellow led workshop feasible and effective in increasing confidence in end-of-life conversations,’ medRxiv (U.S.). Posted online 7 March 2024. Full text
N.B. This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal.
3.11 ‘Finding the balance between person-centred and treatment-centred discussions in advance care planning: A qualitative analysis of conversations within the MUTUAL (Multidisciplinary Timely Undertaken Advance Care Planning conversations) intervention using a narrative analysis,’ Age & Ageing (The Netherlands). Posted online 6 March 2024. Full text
3.12 ‘End-of-life planning and the influence of socioeconomic status among Black Americans: A systematic review,’ Journal of Hospice & Palliative Care (U.S.). Posted online 1 March 2024. Full text
Website Posting of Interest: ‘British attitudes need to change on talking about death to support end-of-life discussions,’ Parliamentary & Health Service Ombudsman (U.K.), 14 March 2024.
Hospital & Hospice Volunteers
Related:
4.2 ‘Facilitators and barriers of implementing end-of-life care volunteering in a hospital in five European countries: The iLIVE study,’ 1 BMC Palliative Care. Posted online 2 April 2024. Full text
4.3 ‘Adding spontaneity to organizations – what hospice volunteers contribute to everyday life in German inpatient hospice and palliative care units: A qualitative study,’ BMC Palliative Care (Germany). Posted online 28 March 2024. Full text
4.4 ‘Volunteers’ initial motivations in a community-based end-of-life care programme and the associations with their eudaimonic well-being,’ Asia Pacific Journal of Social Work & Development (Hong Kong). Posted online 23 March 2024. Full text
Neuropalliative Care
Related:
5.2 ‘Qualitative analysis of initial palliative care consultations in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis,’ Journal of Pain & Symptom Management (Canada). Posted online 2 April 2024. Abstract
(w. intro., section snippets, refs., etc.)5.3 ‘Integrating palliative care in patients with advanced multiple sclerosis: A scoping review,’ Annals of Palliative Medicine (Portugal). Posted online 25 March 2024. Full text (clic on pdf icon)Full text
5.4 ‘Transitions between skilled home health and hospice for persons living with dementia: A systematic review of literature,’ Annals of Palliative Medicine (U.S.). Posted online 12 March 2024. Full text (click on PDF icon)
5.5 ‘Factors associated with preferred place of care and death in patients with Parkinson’s disease: A cross-sectional study,’ Journal of Parkinson’s Disease (Germany). Posted online 4 March 2024. Full text
5.6 ‘Addressing the unmet needs of patients with rapidly progressive neurological disease: A case report of palliative care in Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease,’ Cureus (U.S.). Posted online 29 February 2024. Full text
5.7 ‘Knowledge, competence and educational needs of mental health staff on palliative care for the elderly with dementia,’ Psychiatriki (Greece). Posted online 27 February 2024. Full Greek text (w. English language abstract; click on PDF icon)
Website Posting of Interest: ‘Controlling what can be controlled: Palliative care,’ ALS Association (U.S.), 12 March 2024.
News Media Report of Interest: ‘Hospice care for those with dementia falls far short of meeting people’s needs at the end of life,’ The Conversation (U.S.). Posted online 1 April 2024.
Technology
Related:
6.2 ‘From “wading through treacle” to “making haste slowly”: A comprehensive yet parsimonious model of drivers and challenges to implementing patient data sharing projects based on an EPaCCS evaluation and four pre-existing literature reviews,’ Plos Digital Health (U.K.). Posted online 1 April 2024. Full text
N.B. EPaCCS = England’s Electronic Palliative Care Coordination System.
6.3 ‘Association of virtual end-of-life care with healthcare outcomes before and during the COVID-19 pandemic: A population-based study,’ Plos Digital Health (Canada). Posted online 13 March 2024. Full text
6.4 ‘Attending physicians’ annual service volume and use of virtual end-of-life care: A population-based cohort study in Ontario, Canada,’ Plos One. Posted online 8 March 2024. Full text
News Media Report of Interest: ‘Oxford palliative care “virtual ward” launched,’ BBC News (U.K.), 14 March 2024.
Disparities in Palliative & End-of-Life Care
Related:
7.2 ‘Correcting health disparities at end of life in persons of color,’ Journal of Nurse Practitioners (U.S.). Posted online 6 March 2024. Full text
ICU
Related:
8.2 ‘Integrating palliative care screening in the intensive care unit: A quality improvement project,’ Critical care Nurse (U.S.). Posted online 1 April 2024. Full text (plus video)
8.3 ‘Experiences with and needs for aftercare following the death of a loved one in the ICU: A mixed-methods study among bereaved relatives,’ BMC Palliative Care (The Netherlands). Posted online 4 March 2024. Full text
Pediatric Palliative Care
Related:
9.2 ‘The specialized pediatric palliative care service in Italy: How is it working? Results of the nationwide PalliPed study,’ Italian Journal of Pediatrics (Italy). Posted online 19 March 2024. Full text
9.3 ‘Quality of outpatient pediatric palliative care telehealth: A retrospective chart review,’ Journal of Pain & Symptom Management (U.S.). Posted online 19 March 2024. Abstract (w. intro., section snippets, refs., etc.)
9.4 ‘Psychiatry and interdisciplinary pediatric palliative care: A scoping review,’ Annals of Palliative Medicine (U.S.). Posted online 15 March 2024. Full text (click on PDF icon)
9.5 ‘Between life and death: Case study of a child with an indication for palliative care,’ Hospice & Palliative Medicine International Journal (Brazil). Posted online 14 March 2024. Full text
9.6 ‘A Dutch paediatric palliative care guideline: A systematic review and evidence-based recommendations for symptom treatment,’ BMC Palliative Care (The Netherlands). Posted online 13 March 2024. Full text
9.7 ‘What are the anticipated benefits, risks, barriers and facilitators to implementing person-centred outcome measures into routine care for children and young people with life-limiting and life-threatening conditions? A qualitative interview study with key stakeholders,’ Palliative Medicine (U.K.). Posted online 13 March 2024. Full text
9.8 ‘Psychological factors and quality of life in children with palliative needs: A predictive analysis,’ Research Square (Spain). Posted online 5 March 2024. Full text
N.B. This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal.
9.9 ‘“My life is a mess, but I cope”: An analysis of the language children and young people use to describe their own life-limiting or life-threatening condition,’ Palliative Medicine (U.K.). Posted online 4 March 2024. Full text
9.10 ‘Dying, dependency and death: Exploring palliative care access gaps for children,’ Wellcome Open Research (Canada). Posted online 1 March 2024. Full text
N.B. This article is awaiting peer review.
Website Posting of Interest: ‘Practical tips for children’s palliative care advocacy,’ eHospice (International Children’s Palliative Care Network), 20 March 2024.
News Media Report of Interest:’ “It feels like they’ve written him off”: Parents fight to get son palliative care he needs,’ 1 ITV News (U.K.), 22 March 2024.
Aged, Long-Term & Residential Care
Related:
10.2 ‘Practices, issues and possibilities at the interface between geriatrics and palliative care (InGaP)...,’ Health Open Research (U.K.). Posted online 21 March 2024. Full text
10.3 ‘Community preferences for the care of older people at the end of life: How important is the disease context?’ The Patient (Australia). Posted online 18 March 2024. Full text
10.4 ‘Clinicians who practice primarily in nursing homes and the quality of end-of-life care among residents,’ JAMA Network Open (U.S.). Posted online 15 March 2024. Full text
10.5 ‘What socio-cultural, emotional and relational factors shape older people’s experiences of death and dying in residential aged care? A scoping review,’ Ageing & Society (Australia, U.K.). Posted online 7 March 2024. Full text
10.6 ‘“Confidence and fulfillment”: A qualitative descriptive study exploring the impact of palliative care training for long-term care physicians and nurses,’ Palliative Care & Social Practice (Canada). Posted online 5 March 2024. Full text
Website Posting of Interest: ‘We mustn’t be age discriminate when supporting people with their digital assets and digital legacy,’ eHospice (U.S.), 20 March 2024.
Psychosocial & Spiritual Care
Related:
11.2 ‘Proficiency and practices of nursing professionals in meeting patients’ spiritual needs within palliative care services: A nationwide, cross-sectional study,’ Healthcare (Croatia). Posted online 26 March 2024. Full text
11.3 ‘Effects of dignity therapy on psychological distress and wellbeing of palliative care patients and family caregivers: A randomized controlled study,’ BMC Palliative Care (Switzerland). Posted online 14 March 2024. Full text
Grief & Bereavement
Related:
12.2 ‘Investing in bereavement care as a public health priority,’ The Lancet Public Health (Australia, U.K. & U.S.). Posted online 13 March 2024. Full text
Cultural & Linguistic Diversity
Related:
13.2 ‘Ethnocentrism, racism, and the misuse of culture in U.S. medical professional organizations: The case of hospice and palliative care,’ Journal of General Internal Medicine. Posted online 19 March 2024. Full text
13.3 ‘Strengthening Muslim community leaders’ understanding of palliative care in Australia,’ Progress in Palliative Care. Posted online 7 March 2024. Full text
Website Posting of Interest: ‘Increasing diversity: Why and how?’ Hospice UK, 28 March 2024.
Burnout and Psychological Distress in Professionals
Economics of Palliative & End-of-Life Care
Related:
15.2 ‘The costs and cost-effectiveness of different service models of palliative care, focusing on end-of-life care: A rapid review,’ medRxiv (U.K.). Posted online 7 March 2024. Full text
N.B. This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal.
Hospitalizations at the End of Life
Related:
News Media Report of Interest: ‘The benefits of deploying palliative care social workers in hospital emergency departments,’ Hospice News (U.S.), 11 March 2024.
A “Satisfactory” Death
Public Awareness
N.B. This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal.
Physiotherapy
U.K.
N.B. The last ‘End-of-Life Care in the Prison Environment,’ a “backgrounder,’ dated 1 August 2022, download from the Palliative Care Network website. Supplements #1, #2 & #3 (July, September, November 2023) download. Supplements #4 & #5 (January, March 2024) download.
U.S.A.
South Africa
U.K.