Podcasts about palliative medicine

family director university head canada culture chicago leadership action service canadian doctors phd professor rich transformation toronto board diversity drawing medicine md hamilton excellence equity inclusion ontario fellowship associate professor assistant professor harvard university british columbia disability physicians ottawa med calgary policies trained processes disabilities nova scotia chester co chair ann arbor docs internal medicine mcgill university learner family medicine mcmaster university critical care medical education munro ableism trainee special advisor dalhousie university meeks canadian association algonquin dana farber cancer institute michigan school liao live panel intensive care units illinois college community medicine medical training palliative medicine international congress disability inclusion md dr faculties ontario college graduate medical education acgme ottawa hospital icam clerkship afmc

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 1, 2026 28:22

In this episode of HPNA Palliative Perspective, we're joined by Betty Ferrell—Editor of the Journal of Hospice & Palliative Nursing (JHPN), nurse, and internationally recognized researcher. As the leader of the End-of-Life Nursing Education Consortium, she brings a unique perspective shaped by decades of connection with hospice and palliative care nurses across the U.S. and around the world. Now in her 49th year in nursing—beginning in oncology and entering hospice as it emerged in the United States—Dr. Ferrell reflects on the remarkable growth of the field and where we stand today. At the heart of this conversation is the idea of a “professional home.” Drawing on the foundational work of pioneers like Florence Wald and Cicely Saunders, she highlights the enduring importance of interprofessional, whole-person care—and the need to stay grounded in those values as the field evolves. In a time that can feel complex and demanding, this episode offers a clear message: you don't have to do this work alone. Finding your people, building community, and staying connected—through colleagues and organizations like the Hospice and Palliative Nurses Association—are essential to sustaining both practice and purpose. A thoughtful and reassuring conversation about belonging, connection, and the future of hospice and palliative nursing. Betty Ferrell, RN, PhD, MA, CHPN®, FAAN, FPCN® Betty Ferrell, RN, PhD, MA, CHPN®, FAAN, FPCN® has been in nursing for 48 years and has focused her clinical expertise and research in pain management, quality of life, and palliative care. Dr. Ferrell is the Director of Nursing Research & Education and a Professor at the City of Hope Medical Center in Duarte, California. She is a Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing and she has over 500 publications in peer-reviewed journals and texts. She is Principal Investigator of the “End-of-Life Nursing Education Consortium (ELNEC)” project. She directs several other funded projects related to palliative care in cancer centers and QOL issues. Dr. Ferrell was Co-Chairperson of the National Consensus Project for Quality Palliative Care. Dr. Ferrell completed a Masters degree in Theology, Ethics and Culture from Claremont Graduate University in 2007. She has authored 12 books including the Oxford Textbook of Palliative Nursing (5th Edition, 2019) published by Oxford University Press. She is co-author of the text, The Nature of Suffering and the Goals of Nursing published by Oxford University Press (2nd Ed, 2023) and Making Health Care Whole: Integrating Spirituality into Patient Care (Templeton Press, 2010). In 2013 Dr. Ferrell was named one of the 30 Visionaries in the field by the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine. In 2019 she was elected a member of the National Academy of Medicine. In 2021 Dr. Ferrell received the Oncology Nursing Society Lifetime Achievement Award and she was inducted as a “Living Legend” by the American Academy of Nursing Brett Snodgrass, DNP, FNP-C, ACHPN®, FAANP Dr. Brett Snodgrass has been a registered nurse for 28 years and a Family Nurse Practitioner for 18 years, practicing in multiple settings, including family practice, urgent care, emergency departments, administration, chronic pain and palliative medicine. She is currently the Operations Director for Palliative Medicine at Baptist Health Systems in Memphis, TN. She is board certified with the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners. She is also a Fellow of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners and an Advanced Certified Hospice and Palliative Nurse. She completed a Doctorate of Nursing Practice at the University of Alabama – Huntsville. She is a nationally recognized nurse practitioner speaker and teacher. Brett is a chronic pain expert, working for more than 20 years with chronic pain and palliative patients in a variety of settings. She is honored to be the HPNA 2025 podcast host. She is married with two daughters, two son in laws, one grandson, and now an empty nest cat. She and her family are actively involved in their church and she is an avid reader.

Episode 126: Evidence to Action: Live Panel at ICAM 2026

DocsWithDisabilities

Play Episode Listen Later May 30, 2026 48:21

From Evidence to Action: Incorporating Disability Inclusion in Medical Training and Practice (ICAM 2026) Session Description The ICAM Series | Recorded Live at the International Congress on Academic Medicine (ICAM) What does it take to move disability inclusion from research and policy into everyday medical training and practice? Recorded live at the International Congress on Academic Medicine (ICAM) in Ottawa, Canada, this special episode of the Docs With Disabilities Podcast brings together an extraordinary panel of physician leaders, educators, and advocates working to transform disability inclusion across undergraduate medical education, residency training, and clinical practice. Together, the panel explores how institutions can move beyond awareness and compliance toward meaningful, sustainable change. Drawing from scholarship, systems leadership, and lived experience, they discuss the realities of accommodation implementation, the importance of centralized and trusted systems, faculty training, universal design, and the role of culture in shaping whether disability inclusion succeeds or stalls. This conversation asks difficult—but necessary—questions: How do we create systems that are consistent and humane? How do we support learners and physicians across transitions and career stages? And how do we build medical environments where disability is expected, planned for, and valued? Rich with practical insight and grounded in real-world experience, this live ICAM session highlights a field at an important turning point—one where we increasingly have the evidence, the tools, and the responsibility to act. Whether you are a learner, educator, physician, administrator, or institutional leader, this episode offers concrete ideas and inspiration for advancing disability inclusion within your own environment. Keywords: UGME, PGME, Disability, Learner, Trainee, Medical Education, Policies, Processes, Ableism, Culture, ICAM, AFMC, Docs With Disabilities. Transcript: https://docs.google.com/document/d/18hNrBcylnDfSuT6hJB-RwFMpIBVzEPY21Qf4y0mU0WY/edit?usp=sharing Co-Moderators Lisa Meeks, PhD, MA Dr. Meeks is a Professor of Medical Education at the University of Illinois College of Medicine in Chicago, IL and holds an appt as an Associate Professor of Family Medicine at the University of Michigan School of Medicine in Ann Arbor, MI. She is the founder of the Docs with Disabilities Initiative and host of the DWDI Podcast. Lynn Ashdown, MD, MMEd Lynn Ashdown is a patient experience expert who advocates for patients to be included as stakeholders in all levels of healthcare. She has a medical degree, and was close to finishing her residency in family medicine when she began, and continues to navigate, a complex journey as a full-time patient. She has a masters degree in medical education, and presents, participates in research, and is a senior patient partner consulting with various organizations like the Association of Faculties of Medicine of Canada. She's involved in curriculum reform focusing on patient partnerships and is a disability educator within medicine. Lynn is a disability advocate, drawing from her experiences as a patient and person living with multiple disabilities. She's a board member of the Canadian Association of Physicians with Disabilities and is involved with policy and legislative changes to combat ableism and inequities for people living with disabilities. She co-authored Canada's first position statement on the importance of disability inclusion in medical education, and received the 2024 CMA Dr. Ashok Muzumdar Memorial Award for Physicians with Disabilities. Pam Liao, MD, MEd, FRCPC Dr. Liao is the Inaugural Interim Associate Dean Accessibility and Disability Health at the Toronto Metropolitan University School of Medicine. Here, she previously served as the Disability Health Lead and Special Advisor to the Dean at the Toronto Metropolitan University School of Medicine. In her work, she leads efforts to embed critical disability perspectives and anti-ableist practices into medical education. Drawing from her personal experience navigating medical training with a disability, she has dedicated her career to dismantling systemic barriers faced by individuals with disabilities in medicine. Her work includes groundbreaking research—such as the first analysis of accommodations policies in Canadian undergraduate medical programs—and advocacy efforts like the widely recognized "#docswithdisabilities" social media campaign, which brings attention to the underrepresentation of disabled individuals in healthcare and drives meaningful change. She advocated for the establishment of the Association of Faculties of Medicine of Canada (AFMC) Disability Inclusion Network and currently serves as its inaugural Co-Chair. Her advocacy earned her a place on the Board of Directors of the Canadian Association of Physicians with Disabilities, where she continues to serve. Dr. Liao earned her medical degree from the University of British Columbia and completed her residency in Family and Community Medicine and a fellowship in Palliative Medicine at the University of Toronto. She is also an Assistant Professor in the Department of Family and Community Medicine at the University of Toronto and practices clinically in long-term care and rehabilitation settings. Her contributions have been recognized with several honors, including the OMA Section of Palliative Medicine – Award of Excellence. Jill Rudkowski, MD, FRCPC Dr. Jill Rudkowski is an Associate Professor of Medicine in Department of Medicine (Critical Care) at McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. She has practised as a critical care physician for over 20 years and is an educator, researcher, and educational leader. She obtained her MD from the University of Calgary. She trained in Internal Medicine, Respirology, and Critical Care at McGill University after which she completed a Post-doctoral Fellowship with Dr. Barrett Rollins at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard University. She served as Head of Service for the Medical Stepdown Unit and then the Intensive Care Unit at St. Joseph's Healthcare Hamilton for over 10 years. Dr. Rudkowski has been involved as a co-investigator on numerous patient-focused clinical studies, and these collaborations focus on improving outcomes for survivors of critical illness and the impact on their caregivers. She has designed and delivered curriculum through sessions and workshops on the concept of team compassion in critical care and its role in effective communication. Dr. Rudkowski has held several educational leadership roles within the McMaster University DeGroote School of Medicine including the Chair of Clerkship and the Director of Student Advising. She is currently the Postgraduate Medicine (PGME) Accommodation Advisor within Resident Affairs and the PGME Resident Assessment Faculty Lead. Dr. Rudkowski has been involved in writing and implementing policy and guidelines around accessing accommodations as well as designing and delivering curriculum aimed at faculty, learners, and administrators through virtual and in person sessions and workshops. Dr. Rudkowski has had the privilege of collaborating nationally and internationally around disability policy in medical education. She was a member of the Disability Policy Toolkit Committee, Multimedia Resource Hub for Disability Inclusion in Graduate Medical Education on "Learn at ACGME" supported by the 2024 Josiah Macy Jr. Foundation Catalyst Award for Transformation in Graduate Medical Education. Dr. Rudkowski is currently a member of the Association of Faculties of Medicine of Canada Disability Inclusion and Accessibility Network. She lives with a chronic disability and is passionate about ensuring that all medical learners and practitioners with disability experience belonging and accessibility in the clinical learning and practice environments. Camille Munro MD CCFP (PC) Dr. Camille Munro is a palliative medicine physician in the Department of Medicine at the Ottawa Hospital and an Assistant Professor at the University of Ottawa. Originally from Chester, Nova Scotia, she received her Doctor of Medicine from Dalhousie University in 1991 and completed her rotating internship at Royal Columbian Hospital, University of British Columbia. After practicing family medicine in Ottawa for 18 years while raising her children, she returned to the academic setting, driven by a longstanding commitment to compassionate, whole patient-centred care for those facing a serious illness. In 2018, Dr. Munro was appointed Director of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion for the Department of Medicine where she led initiatives to foster a more inclusive and equitable academic and clinical environment. Her work included the development and implementation of the first formal accommodations policy for physicians with disabilities at a Canadian academic hospital. She remains a strong advocate for physicians with disabilities and for creating environments free from discrimination and inequity. Here work is grounded in compassion, advocacy, and representation; values she brings to her clinical care, teaching, mentorship and leadership. In recognition of her contributions, she received the 2022 Faculty Member Award of Excellence for Leadership in Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion from the University of Ottawa Faculty of Medicine. Samantha Lavitt, MD Dr. Samantha Lavitt (she/her) is the first Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Curricular Lead in undergraduate medical education at the University of Ottawa, which sits on the traditional, unceded territory of the Algonquin people. In this role, she designs educational content including topics such as gender equity, sexual orientation and gender diversity, language rights, and disability, integrating these topics throughout the clinical curriculum in a format that connects students with community teachers with lived experience. Trained as a family physician and dedicated to resilience through sustainable practice development, Dr. Lavitt also offers coaching and peer support to family physicians on advocacy, disability, and well-being through the Ontario College of Family Physicians (OCFP). She established the first peer support group for physicians with chronic illness and/or disabilities at the OCFP in 2024 and continues to co-lead this group monthly. While she finds working with individual physicians and small groups deeply rewarding, this intervention is not enough to dismantle the system of barriers that disabled physicians face in our medical culture, so Dr. Lavitt brings her professional and lived experience as a disabled physician to advocacy initiatives at her academic institution, provincial, and national levels with involvement in peer support projects, webinars, and conference appearances. Produced by: Dr. Lisa Meeks. Audio editor: Next Day Podcast Digital Media: Lisa Meeks Resources: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1EXw4F1pt5J-O6Y0k-WksDC71RCA6aTFSCOkz-lqJiyc/edit?usp=sharing

Assisted Dying: Implications for Palliative Care

UKMFA

Play Episode Listen Later May 24, 2026 45:49

In the second episode of this series on the potential impact of any Assisted Dying Bill (Episode 1 here), Dr Liz Evans and Amanda Hunter are joined by Dr Carol Davis (appearing in the transcript as Carol Bowden), a recently retired Consultant in Palliative Medicine, and Angelina Ireland, the Executive Director of the Delta Hospice Society in Canada, to discuss Assisted Dying and its profound implications for Palliative Care across the UK if introduced.The panel discuss the danger to the public and society of introducing assisted dying into an already imploding healthcare system in the UK, as Angelina Ireland shares stories of the terrifying realities of euthanasia in Canada.The UK's Palliative Care and NHS CrisisBypassing Scrutiny: After the previous Leadbetter Assisted Dying Bill ran out of time due to extensive House of Lords amendments, sponsors are attempting to return the bill to Parliament with a new, identical Private Member's Bill, and threatening to force it through without Lords' approval, by an unprecedented use of the Parliament Acts.A Broken NHS: Assisted Suicide is being pushed forward against the backdrop of an NHS in crisis, which currently faces a 7-million-person waiting list, including over 1 million terminally ill individuals waiting for appointments.Hospice Underfunding: Palliative care is facing a severe funding crisis. In the last year alone, 380 UK hospice beds have closed, community specialist nurse visits dropped by 150,000, and two-thirds of hospices are operating in a financial deficit.Impact on the Working Class: Amanda Hunter emphasises that this legislation poses the greatest threat to the working class, who completely rely on the NHS and cannot simply buy private treatment or care like the middle class can.Palliative Care vs. Assisted Dying: Common MisconceptionsPublic Confusion: Surveys show significant public misunderstanding. Less than half of the public correctly recognise that assisted dying means administering lethal drugs with the deliberate intent to cause death, with many confusing it with normal hospice care of the dying in alleviating symptoms, or stopping life-sustaining treatment.The Goal of Palliative Care: Palliative care is holistic and is aimed at helping a person live as well as possible until they die Along with psychological and spiritual support it usesthe lowest possible doses of medication and non-drug measures to ease symptoms and distress.The Goal of Assisted Dying: Assisted dying utilises high, lethal doses of a toxic drug cocktail with the explicit and immediate intent to end the patient's life.The Warning from Canada: A Dystopian RealityThe Slippery Slope: Angelina Ireland shares Canada's harrowing trajectory with Medical Assistance in Dying (MAID) since it was legalised in 2016. Originally introduced strictly for terminally ill patients, the criteria quickly loosened to target vulnerable populations, including the poor, the old, the disabled, and the homeless.State Expropriation of Assets: When the Delta Hospice Society refused to participate in or host MAID on its premises, due to its commitment to traditional palliative principles and conscientious objection to euthanasia, the Canadian government stripped its funding, cancelled its land lease, and seized its privately fundraised $8 million facility without a single penny of compensation.Hospices as Sanctuaries; Angelina reminded us that the word hospice means sanctuary and that vulnerable patients who are at the end of life must be protected from the threat of MAID by being able to access hospices that do not allow MAID on their premises.Erosion of Trust: The normalisation of MAID by medical associations has severely damaged the sacred trust between doctors and patients, fostering widespread fear of hospitals and the healthcare system.Final ThoughtsThe panel warned the UK in the strongest terms against opening Pandora's box by passing this deeply flawed and unsafe bill. The true, compassionate solution to end-of-life suffering is not to introduce state-sanctioned killing into healthcare, but to protect the legacy of medicine, by putting in adequate funding to provide high-quality specialist palliative care to everyone.UKMFA: CALL TO ACTION: Please follow us and subscribe on our YouTube and Rumble channels and please share our content on social media and with friends and family, to help us get the message out and increase our reach.All our podcasts can also be found on the major audio platforms e.g. Apple and Spotify.Our Substack is found here: https://substack.com/@ukmfa1We are grateful for all donations to help us to continue and grow our work; lobbying decision makers; educating and empowering the public; running campaigns and producing our podcasts. You can use this link to donate directly: https://donorbox.org/ukmfa_podcast. Please visit the UK Medical Freedom Alliance at www.ukmedfreedom.org and https://substack.com/@ukmfa1 to access all our material and resources.

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Ep. 58 - After Five: The Other 123 Hours of Hospice Care

Play Episode Listen Later May 1, 2026 22:41

Hospice care is often structured around a 40-hour workweek—but patients and families need support 24/7. In this episode, we explore what happens during the “other 123 hours”: nights, weekends, and holidays when staffing is leaner, coverage areas expand, and each clinician carries greater responsibility—even as symptom crises and end-of-life transitions unfold. Through frontline insights, we examine the risks, resilience, and resourcefulness that define after-hours care—and discuss practical strategies to strengthen continuity, safety, and support across the full week. Djenie Helne, DNP, FNP-BC, CRNP, ACHPN® D'Jenie R. Helne, DNP, FNP-BC, ACHPN®, is a Doctor of Nursing Practice–prepared Family Nurse Practitioner and Advanced Certified Hospice and Palliative Nurse with over 18 years of nursing experience and more than a decade in advanced practice. She currently serves as Director of Resource Nights & Weekend Nurse Practitioners at Chapters Health System, where she leads multi-state advanced practice teams delivering high-quality hospice and palliative care across Florida, DC, Maryland, and Virginia. Dr. Helne is recognized for her expertise in clinical operations, regulatory readiness, telehealth innovation, and interdisciplinary care models. She has held leadership, hospitalist, and academic roles, including faculty appointments at Johns Hopkins University and Santa Fe College. Fluent in Haitian Kreyòl and proficient in Spanish, she is deeply committed to equitable, patient-centered care and building collaborative clinical environments that drive excellence in outcomes and operational performance. Brett Snodgrass, DNP, FNP-C, ACHPN®, FAANP Dr. Brett Snodgrass has been a registered nurse for 28 years and a Family Nurse Practitioner for 18 years, practicing in multiple settings, including family practice, urgent care, emergency departments, administration, chronic pain and palliative medicine. She is currently the Operations Director for Palliative Medicine at Baptist Health Systems in Memphis, TN. She is board certified with the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners. She is also a Fellow of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners and an Advanced Certified Hospice and Palliative Nurse. She completed a Doctorate of Nursing Practice at the University of Alabama – Huntsville. She is a nationally recognized nurse practitioner speaker and teacher. Brett is a chronic pain expert, working for more than 20 years with chronic pain and palliative patients in a variety of settings. She is honored to be the HPNA 2025 podcast host. She is married with two daughters, two son in laws, one grandson, and now an empty nest cat. She and her family are actively involved in their church and she is an avid reader.

Specialist palliative care improves patient experience, reduces bed days and saves money: An economic modelling study of home- and hospital-based care

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 27, 2026 4:30

This episode features Dr Peter May (Cicely Saunders Institute of Palliative Care, Policy & Rehabilitation, King's College London, UK School of Medicine, Trinity College Dublin, Ireland). What is already known on this topic? Specialist palliative care increases odds of dying outside hospital and improves patient quality of life, but this is a complex intervention and not all who might benefit receive specialist care. Cost-effectiveness of specialist palliative care, and the economic implications of reduced hospital deaths, is a persistent question for research and policy. Prior systematic reviews identify a lack of modelling studies as a fundamental evidence gap. What this paper adds We used decision modelling, a widely-used method in health economics that has not been routinely applied in evaluating palliative care. The key strength of this approach is the capacity to combine data from different sources to estimate cost-effectiveness when there is insufficient trial data to answer the question. We found that both hospital-based specialist palliative care and home-based specialist palliative care for adults in England represent excellent value care, reducing the average cost per patient to the NHS while improving patient outcomes. Implications for practice, theory or policy Specialist palliative care is currently accessed by less than half of people who might benefit in England. Expanding access would likely yield further cost-savings and improve outcomes for patients and families. However, mitigating current inequities in access and outcomes also requires new approaches to identifying, engaging and meeting the needs of underserved groups. Other countries interested in applying these methods to their own data and services can consider using our methodological templates, which we have published open access. Full paper available from: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/02692163261423755 If you would like to record a podcast about your published (or accepted) Palliative Medicine paper, please contact Dr Amara Nwosu: a.nwosu@lancaster.ac.uk

Quality indicators for palliative care for older people: An umbrella review

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Play Episode Listen Later Apr 27, 2026 4:35

This episode features Amy Hutchinson (Queensland University of Technology (QUT), Centre for Healthcare Transformation, Faculty of Health, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia). What is already known on this topic? Quality indicators for palliative care have been extensively researched in different populations and settings. A comprehensive suite of palliative care quality indicators for older people is required to inform policy and practice. What this paper adds This review identified 658 unique quality indicators for palliative care for older people of which 56 indicators required a person or proxy rating, 388 indicators could be derived from healthcare records, and 214 indicators related directly to service or organisational aspects. There was a clear lack of quality indicators which relate to the structures of care, demonstrating an underrepresentation of the influence of organisational processes in quality outcomes. Indicators often emphasised a biomedical approach, overlooking the psychological, social, cultural, and spiritual aspects essential to high-quality palliative care. Implications for practice, theory or policy There is a need for a more refined suite of indicators to be tested across diverse cultural, geographic and healthcare settings. This refined suite can then be used by health and aged care services to assess the quality of care they provide and identify performance gaps to target in quality improvement initiatives. Full paper available from: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/02692163251403422 If you would like to record a podcast about your published (or accepted) Palliative Medicine paper, please contact Dr Amara Nwosu: a.nwosu@lancaster.ac.uk

Exploring the hidden before the end: A phenomenological analysis of forgiveness at the end of life among spiritual caregivers

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Play Episode Listen Later Apr 27, 2026 4:48

This episode features Dr Claudia Rossy Parés (Department of Psychology, Universitat Internacional de Catalunya, Barcelona, Spain). What is already known on this topic? Research has associated forgiveness with physical, emotional and spiritual benefits in people facing the end of life. Health professionals often feel unprepared to talk about forgiveness with their patients. The role that the spiritual caregiver plays with respect to forgiveness as a need of the patient is not clear. What this paper adds By offering in-depth, qualitative insights from experienced spiritual caregivers, this paper provides data of how spiritual caregivers perceive and address forgiveness as a theme at the end-of-life in the context of severe illness. The study identifies barriers experienced by spiritual caregivers to talking about forgiveness, and proposes resources to address them. Implications for practice, theory or policy Forgiveness in palliative care should be explored and offered as a possible path toward peace within a person-centered and autonomy-respecting framework, acknowledging that not all patients wish or are ready to forgive. Spiritual caregivers need protected time and supportive conditions for spiritual conversations with patients, ensuring follow-up across care transitions when possible, and clear role boundaries distinguishing them from clergy when engaging in forgiveness conversations. Future research should include multi-faith perspectives, use diverse designs across different care settings (hospital, hospice, primary care), and integrate patients' and families' experiences to deepen understanding of forgiveness in palliative care. Full paper available from: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/02692163261431175 If you would like to record a podcast about your published (or accepted) Palliative Medicine paper, please contact Dr Amara Nwosu: a.nwosu@lancaster.ac.uk

Multi-perspective views about healthcare experiences for those with incurable head and neck cancer: A prospective, longitudinal, qualitative study

university uk study healthcare developing patients experiences improving liverpool views implications sheffield prospective qualitative incurable palliative medicine longitudinal head and neck cancer

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 27, 2026 4:00

This episode features Dr Catriona Mayland (University of Sheffield, UK. Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, UK. Palliative Care Unit, University of Liverpool, UK). What is already known on this topic? The disease trajectory for people with incurable head and neck cancer is unpredictable. This cancer subgroup has high healthcare utilisation even in the last months of life. What this paper adds Patients, caregivers and healthcare professionals consistently reported systemic variability in healthcare experiences for those with incurable head and neck cancer. Improving access to symptom relieving medications, helping more with advocacy, and developing ways to improve caregivers' preparedness reflect areas for improvement across the disease trajectory. Information needs change over time, with initial overload, but then complexities relating to advance care planning developing later due to the unpredictable nature of the disease. Implications for practice, theory or policy Solutions include cancer centres adopting more accessible, inclusive means of communication and providing patients and families with reliable contact points for key healthcare professionals. Developing strategies or interventions to improve caregivers' preparedness should incorporate both caregivers and relevant healthcare professionals to ensure the technical aspects of care can be addressed. Full paper available from: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/02692163261416267 If you would like to record a podcast about your published (or accepted) Palliative Medicine paper, please contact Dr Amara Nwosu: a.nwosu@lancaster.ac.uk

Reasons for patients in high income countries accessing hospital care while receiving specialist community palliative care: A systematic review and meta-ethnography

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 27, 2026 5:14

This episode features Norah Elvidge (School of Nursing, Faculty of Health, Queensland University of Technology, Kelvin Grove, QLD, Australia. Silverchain, Melbourne, VIC, Australia). What is already known on this topic? Many people with palliative care needs would prefer to be cared for and/or die at home. Many people will be cared for at home by specialist community palliative care services. Despite this, hospitalisation rates remain high for people receiving specialist community palliative care services. Carers face physical, emotional and financial burden caring for someone with palliative care needs at home. What this paper adds Provides a deeper understanding of the contextual and individual determinants of why people receiving specialist community palliative care access unplanned hospital care. Provides insight into specialist palliative care carer behaviour at the end of life. Highlights the importance of the carer's role in decisions surrounding acute care access for people at the end of life. Implications for practice, theory or policy Further research is needed to capture the perspective of people receiving specialist community palliative care regarding the reasons for unplanned hospital use. The number of unplanned hospital presentations for people receiving community palliative care may be reduced through the provision of better formal support for their carers. Examining factors contributing to unplanned hospital use supports specialist community palliative care services to refine models of care and optimise care delivery. Full paper available from: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/02692163261418625 If you would like to record a podcast about your published (or accepted) Palliative Medicine paper, please contact Dr Amara Nwosu: a.nwosu@lancaster.ac.uk

Palliative care part 2 - "So they agreed to do nothing..."

GPs Talk Cancer

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 14, 2026 62:09

In this episode of GPs Talk Cancer, GPs Rebecca Leon and Sarah Taylor are joined by Professor Matt Makin, Consultant in Palliative Medicine in North Manchester and acting Chief Medical Officer of Manchester Foundation Trust. Building on a previous episode with Matt, they explore palliative care in the context of modern cancer treatment, discussing how to recognise decline in people living with advanced cancer, advance care planning, medication review and rationalisation, and symptom control — including a practical look at the physiology of nausea — and revisiting the BRAN framework to support shared decision‑making in primary care.If you loved this episode and would like to hear more like this, please send your review to the-christie.gatewayc@nhs.net and share the series with a colleague.This episode is produced by GatewayC in collaboration with Listening Dog Media.DISCLAIMER: We know this podcast might be of interest to anybody, however it is aimed at primary care health professionals. All patient cases are based on real stories from our clinical practice as GPs. They are fully anonymised with no identifiable patient data. All featured statistics are accurate at the time of recording. All views expressed by guest speakers are their own. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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Ep. 57 - I'm Not Dead if I'm Still Talking: Behind the Film A Butterfly Has Been Released

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 1, 2026 22:59

In this episode, filmmakers Barry Koch and Jason Zamer are joined by Angela Novas, Chief Medical Officer of the Hospice Foundation of America, to discuss A Butterfly Has Been Released. The documentary follows hospice nurse Allyson during the final 39 days of her life with brain cancer. Determined to turn her dying into a teaching moment, she hosts a living funeral, shares deep conversations with loved ones, and chooses a natural green burial—modeling agency and intention through the end of life. Barry and Jason reflect on the emotional and ethical realities of documenting such an intimate journey, while Angela offers a hospice leadership perspective on what the film reveals about patient autonomy and end-of-life care. Together, they explore how storytelling can reshape conversations about death and grief. This episode invites palliative and hospice professionals to reflect on what happens when the caregiver becomes the patient—and how narrative can be a powerful vehicle for change. “A Butterfly Has Been Released” is available for individual and community viewing, with and without continuing education credit at Hospice Foundation of America website. Barry Koch Barry Koch is a media executive turned end-of-life innovator whose work brings humanity, honesty, and meaning making to life's final chapter. Through the production of films like A Butterfly Has Been Released and digital projects that enhance deathcare literacy, he sparks important and necessary conversations that families often avoid. As a Co-founder of TGBeyond and longtime hospice volunteer, he champions compassionate care, community healing, and conscious choices at the end-of-life. Jason Zamer Jason Zamer is a healthcare technology innovator turned documentary storyteller, using film to illuminate the emotional and therapeutic power of end-of-life narratives. With 20+ years designing evidence-based interventions for older adults, he blends science, empathy, and creativity to transform how we communicate about dying. As co-founder of TGBeyond, he creates “deadutainment”—engaging, empowering content that normalizes death conversations—through tools and stories that help families prepare, heal, and connect through life's final chapter. Angela Novas Angela Novas is a nationally recognized hospice and palliative care clinician who serves as Chief Medical Officer and consultant for the Hospice Foundation of America (HFA). She moderates and participates in HFA's professional educational panels, provides information about hospice to the public, and is frequently quoted by major media outlets including The Washington Post, AARP, USA Today, and NPR. With advanced training from Harvard and The George Washington University, she leads with clinical rigor, compassion, and a commitment to high-quality end-of-life care. Brett Snodgrass, DNP, FNP-C, ACHPN®, FAANP Dr. Brett Snodgrass has been a registered nurse for 28 years and a Family Nurse Practitioner for 18 years, practicing in multiple settings, including family practice, urgent care, emergency departments, administration, chronic pain and palliative medicine. She is currently the Operations Director for Palliative Medicine at Baptist Health Systems in Memphis, TN. She is board certified with the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners. She is also a Fellow of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners and an Advanced Certified Hospice and Palliative Nurse. She completed a Doctorate of Nursing Practice at the University of Alabama – Huntsville. She is a nationally recognized nurse practitioner speaker and teacher. Brett is a chronic pain expert, working for more than 20 years with chronic pain and palliative patients in a variety of settings. She is honored to be the HPNA 2025 podcast host. She is married with two daughters, two son in laws, one grandson, and now an empty nest cat. She and her family are actively involved in their church and she is an avid reader.

Coping with Cancer Pain

A Cancer Conversation

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 6, 2026 37:56

Hello and welcome to this episode of A Cancer Conversation with the Georgia Cancer Center at Augusta University.If your pain management is not where you want it to be, don't give up hope. Your pain can be managed. If one medication or pain management approach does not work, there is almost always another one to try. Today, we have two guests who will be sharing strategies to help cancer patients deal with the various painful effects of a cancer diagnosis and treatment plan.First, is Dr. Lauren Bigham. Dr. Bigham is the director of the Georgia Cancer Center's Psycho-Social Oncology program. Joining her is Dr. Egidio Del Fabbro. Dr. Del Fabbro is a professor in the Department of Medicine at the Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University, as well as the director of Palliative Medicine at the Georgia Cancer Center.Learn More: https://gccnews.augusta.edu/2026/03/06/the-silent-battle-redefining-cancer-pain-management/#GeorgiaCancerCenter #Cancer #LivingWithCancer #CancerAwareness

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Acute care of persons living with Dementia From the clinic to the ED and back

GEMCAST

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 3, 2026 42:06

In this episode of GEMCast, Dr. Christina Shenvi sits down with Dr. Christina Prather, Director of Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine at George Washington University, for a dynamic, coffee-style conversation about innovations and challenges in geriatric emergency care. They explore strategies for supporting older adults with dementia, preventing avoidable ED visits, and advancing patient-centered care through better communication, system protocols, and interdisciplinary teamwork. Listen in for practical tips, real-world stories, and insights on how emergency clinicians and leaders can better navigate the complexities of cognitive impairment and deliver compassionate, collaborative care to our aging population. Additional resources can be found at https://gedcollaborative.com/resource/dementia/acute-care-of-persons-living-with-dementia-from-the-clinic-to-the-ed-and-back/.

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Ep. 56 - Risking Love: Hospice, Palliative Care, and Humanity Behind Bars

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 2, 2026 23:40

In this powerful episode, longtime HPNA member Linda Blum, APRN shares experiences from the last few years of her rich nursing career in volunteerism —training incarcerated caregivers in a California state prison hospice program. Linda explores the ethical complexity of end-of-life care behind bars, from POLST conflicts and CPR decisions to pain management in a correctional setting where Medicare rules don't apply. Through ELNEC education and interdisciplinary collaboration, she's helping nurses, correctional officers, and incarcerated caregivers reclaim agency and restore dignity at the end of life. This conversation examines moral distress, serious illness communication, and the transformative power of “risking love” in some of the most marginalized settings. A moving reflection on bearing witness, professional courage, and the light within us all. About Humane Prison Hospice Project The Humane Prison Hospice Project is developing a humanitarian, cost-effective, and transformative solution to ensure that those aging and dying in prison receive compassionate care. Since 2017, the Humane Prison Hospice Project has worked to ensure that incarcerated individuals receive compassionate end-of-life care from trained peers. Humane implements a comprehensive 80-hour, 15-module curriculum to train incarcerated individuals as peer caregivers, equipping them with the skills to provide hands-on care and emotional support to their aging and terminally ill peers. Graduates of this program are part of a growing movement to humanize end-of-life care behind bars. Since launching this initiative, we have trained over 150 peer caregivers across California prisons, and are bringing our programming to three states—Michigan, Washington, and Oregon—marking our first step toward national replication. Learn more on their website: https://humaneprisonhospiceproject.org/ For anyone listening who has experience in hospice, nursing, programming in prisons or facilitating, and you live in CA, WA, MI, or OR, Humane is seeking volunteer facilitators who participate in trainings for peer caregivers in prisons across each state. We'd love to hear from you -- please reach out to Camila Ryder at camila@humaneprisonhospiceproject.org with your name, location, and any relevant experience. If you're interested in learning more, register via Zoom for one of our virtual monthly Informational Meetings. Linda Blum, GNP, MSN, RN Linda Blum, GNP, MSN, RN, is a retired gerontological nurse practitioner living in California. Born and raised in New York State, she moved to the Bay Area over 45 years ago. Her early career included work in virology and immunology laboratories before she left a PhD program after the birth of her first child. She later worked as a birth doula and photographer and entered nursing school intending to become a nurse midwife. Instead, her path led her to the care of people with serious illness. She often jokes that she has a poor sense of direction and found end of life, not beginning of life, as she prefers anxious children to anxious parents. Linda worked in home infusion and home hospice as a case manager and manager before returning to school for her at UCSF and then completing a palliative medicine fellowship at the VA in Palo Alto. She was hired as the first clinician to provide palliative care/medicine consultation at California Pacific Medical Center. Since retiring in 2023, Linda has volunteered her time and expertise with the Humane Prison Hospice Project, where she facilitates training for incarcerated individuals serving as peer caregivers. Her passion is helping to train nurses and professional staff in the carceral setting using a modified ELNEC curriculum. Linda enjoys traveling, caring for her grandchildren, and telling silly jokes and puns. Her spirit animal is a penguin—preferably a Gentoo—and if you ask for photos, your inbox may quickly overflow. Brett Snodgrass, DNP, FNP-C, ACHPN®, FAANP Dr. Brett Snodgrass has been a registered nurse for 28 years and a Family Nurse Practitioner for 18 years, practicing in multiple settings, including family practice, urgent care, emergency departments, administration, chronic pain and palliative medicine. She is currently the Operations Director for Palliative Medicine at Baptist Health Systems in Memphis, TN. She is board certified with the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners. She is also a Fellow of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners and an Advanced Certified Hospice and Palliative Nurse. She completed a Doctorate of Nursing Practice at the University of Alabama – Huntsville. She is a nationally recognized nurse practitioner speaker and teacher. Brett is a chronic pain expert, working for more than 20 years with chronic pain and palliative patients in a variety of settings. She is honored to be the HPNA 2025 podcast host. She is married with two daughters, two son in laws, one grandson, and now an empty nest cat. She and her family are actively involved in their church and she is an avid reader.

Loading phenobarbital in paediatric home-based terminal care: A case series

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 24, 2026 3:39

This episode features Jo-Anne J. Kelly (Palliative Care South East, Narre Warren, VIC, Australia (Palliative Care South East, Narre Warren, VIC, Australia) and Dr Karen Aisling Griffin (Palliative Care South East, Narre Warren, VIC, Australia, Peninsula Health, Frankston, VIC, Australia) What is already known about this topic? Phenobarbital loading in the adult palliative cohort for refractory symptom management has been used for many years. However, there is little evidence, nor a guideline for palliative sedation for children at home. What does this paper add? An initial loading dose of phenobarbital may provide enhanced and quicker relief of refractory symptoms in the paediatric palliative care cohort receiving home-based terminal care. Implications for practice, theory, or policy? Further research is required to determine the efficacy of, and guidelines for administration of, a loading dose of phenobarbital for paediatric palliative care patients in the terminal phase, presenting with intractable symptoms. Full paper available from: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/02692163251365440 If you would like to record a podcast about your published (or accepted) Palliative Medicine paper, please contact Dr Amara Nwosu: a.nwosu@lancaster.ac.uk

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Ep. 55 - Inclusive Learning as a Disruptor: Redefining How Health Care Learns

Oncology Peer Review On-The-Go

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 2, 2026 32:42

Health care inclusivity is more than a framework, it's a daily practice that shapes learning, teamwork, and patient outcomes. In this episode of HPNA's Palliative Perspective, Jill, Vanessa, and Jenn—longtime collaborators in nursing professional development and creators of Disruptor Diaries—explore what health care inclusivity truly means across education, clinical practice, and the workforce. Drawing from lived experience in cardiovascular, neuro-trauma ICU, emergency nursing, home health, and hospice and palliative care, the guests discuss inclusive and active learning environments, the importance of belonging, and how thoughtful, aware interactions can transform both professional development and patient care. They also share the “why” behind their self-published learning guide Healthcare Education: Strategies for Inclusive Learning, created to fill a critical gap in healthcare education during a complex political and organizational landscape. This conversation invites listeners of all roles to reflect: Am I creating an inclusive environment? What is important to this person? And why does inclusivity matter now more than ever? Jillian Russell, MSN, RN, NPDA-BC® Jillian is a nursing professional development specialist dedicated to upholding and advancing the Nursing and Nursing Professional Development Scope and Standards of Practice. A passionate advocate for excellence in nursing education and professional growth, she leverages innovative, evidence-based strategies to support nurses at every stage of their careers. Committed to fostering inclusive learning environments, Jillian ensures that all learners—regardless of their background, experience, or learning style—feel valued, supported, and empowered to thrive. She actively works to break down barriers to learning by promoting equitable access to resources, cultivating psychological safety, and amplifying diverse perspectives in healthcare education. Jennifer Bodine, DNP, MHA, RN, NPDA-BC®, CEN Jenn is a nursing professional development specialist committed to ensuring equitable professional growth for all. With a nursing background, she recognizes the vital need for inclusive learning environments that support all healthcare professionals, regardless of their setting. Jenn brings a thoughtful, learner-centered approach to professional development. Driven by a passion for equity and lifelong learning, Jenn believes that when healthcare teams feel seen, supported, and valued, they are better equipped to collaborate, innovate, and deliver patient-centered care. Vanessa Cameron, MSN, RN, NPD-BC, CEN, CNL Vanessa is a nursing professional development specialist, a physically disabled nurse, a PhD candidate researching ableism in healthcare, and a dedicated disability advocate. Her journey over the past six years has centered on unlearning exclusionary practices, with a deep focus on ableism and disability equity since becoming disabled herself. Lived experience has made her a stronger nurse, educator, and advocate. Through this Inclusive Learning Guide, she shares insights from both personal and professional perspectives—empowering you to cultivate inclusive learning environments that promote equity in healthcare and improve patient and community outcomes. While her background is in nursing and continuing professional development, this guide is designed for use across all learning spaces, from academia to interprofessional settings. Brett Snodgrass, DNP, FNP-C, ACHPN®, FAANP Dr. Brett Snodgrass has been a registered nurse for 28 years and a Family Nurse Practitioner for 18 years, practicing in multiple settings, including family practice, urgent care, emergency departments, administration, chronic pain and palliative medicine. She is currently the Operations Director for Palliative Medicine at Baptist Health Systems in Memphis, TN. She is board certified with the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners. She is also a Fellow of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners and an Advanced Certified Hospice and Palliative Nurse. She completed a Doctorate of Nursing Practice at the University of Alabama – Huntsville. She is a nationally recognized nurse practitioner speaker and teacher. Brett is a chronic pain expert, working for more than 20 years with chronic pain and palliative patients in a variety of settings. She is honored to be the HPNA 2025 podcast host. She is married with two daughters, two son in laws, one grandson, and now an empty nest cat. She and her family are actively involved in their church and she is an avid reader.

S1 Ep199: How to Responsibly Use AI in Palliative Care and Hematologic Malignancies

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 2, 2026 11:07

In a conversation with CancerNetwork®, Ram Prakash Thirugnanasambandam, MBBS, discussed the evolving roles that artificial intelligence (AI)–based tools may play in palliative care and the management of different hematologic malignancies. He spoke in the context of a publication he authored, The Role of Artificial Intelligence in Palliative Oncology: Zeroing in on Hematologic Malignancies,which was featured in the November/December 2025 issue of the journal ONCOLOGY®.Thirugnanasambandam, a fellow of Internal Medicine, Hospice and Palliative Medicine, and Geriatric Medicine at the University of Miami, outlined the paper's aim to explore how AI can assist with patient-centric goals of care like symptom management as well as decision-making support among clinicians. In the context of palliative medicine, AI has demonstrated utility as a supportive tool that can help with marking patients who may benefit from a palliative care conversation. Such tools have also assisted with identifying symptoms such as pain, dyspnea, anxiety, or psychosocial distress, allowing providers to form a more proactive approach to patient care.According to Thirugnanasambandam, implementing AI into one's workflow may help accurately predict disease subtypes and burdens among patients with leukemia, lymphoma, or multiple myeloma. He noted that predictive analytic capabilities may also facilitate effective management of cytopenias, transplant-related needs, infections, and other treatment-related toxicities.Thirugnanasambandam also discussed some of the ethical considerations surrounding the growth of AI-based tools, highlighting information privacy concerns and potentially biased datasets as notable issues with these platforms. Although AI may assist with decision-making, Thirugnanasambandam stated that it ultimately cannot replace a human's nuanced clinical judgment and empathy.“I want readers to take away a sense of balance,” Thirugnanasambandam said regarding his publication. “We've done the article to help clinicians be more comfortable in engaging with AI. We need to apply it critically, not as replacing judgment or decision-making skills, but more as an adjunct.”

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Ep. 54 - Hospice Highlights from an Alaskan Hospice Nurse

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 1, 2026 23:27

In this moving episode of HPNA Palliative Perspective, we welcome Esther Pepper, RN, BSN, CHPN®, a veteran hospice nurse from Alaska whose more than two decades of compassionate service have shaped her debut memoir, My Calling: Chronicles of an Alaskan Hospice Nurse. Drawing from years on the front lines of end-of-life care, Esther shares what hospice nursing truly looks like—the challenges, the grace, and the profound human connections formed along the way. Together, we explore the emotional and spiritual dimensions of dying that often go unspoken, practical strategies for symptom management, and how caregivers can nurture both their patients and themselves. Join us for a heartfelt conversation that celebrates the courage, compassion, and calling behind hospice work—and the enduring lessons learned from those at life's final threshold. Esther Pepper, RN, BSN, CHPN® Esther Pepper, RN, BSN, CHPN®, a veteran hospice nurse from Alaska with more than 20 years of compassionate service. Her debut memoir, My Calling: Chronicles of an Alaskan Hospice Nurse (MindStir Media, October 2024), reflects her deep commitment to caring for others in their final stages of life. Brett Snodgrass, DNP, FNP-C, ACHPN®, FAANP Dr. Brett Snodgrass has been a registered nurse for 28 years and a Family Nurse Practitioner for 18 years, practicing in multiple settings, including family practice, urgent care, emergency departments, administration, chronic pain and palliative medicine. She is currently the Operations Director for Palliative Medicine at Baptist Health Systems in Memphis, TN. She is board certified with the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners. She is also a Fellow of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners and an Advanced Certified Hospice and Palliative Nurse. She completed a Doctorate of Nursing Practice at the University of Alabama – Huntsville. She is a nationally recognized nurse practitioner speaker and teacher. Brett is a chronic pain expert, working for more than 20 years with chronic pain and palliative patients in a variety of settings. She is honored to be the HPNA 2025 podcast host. She is married with two daughters, two son in laws, one grandson, and now an empty nest cat. She and her family are actively involved in their church and she is an avid reader.

Sexual health at the end of life in patients with advanced cancer and their partners. Results of a Dutch prospective longitudinal study (eQuiPe)

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 22, 2025 4:25

This episode features Isabel S. van der Meer (Department of Research and Development, The Netherlands Comprehensive Cancer Organisation, Utrecht, The Netherlands). What was already known? The diagnosis of advanced cancer and subsequent treatments can have negative implications for sexual health Changes in sexual health of patients with advanced cancer emerge from physical, mental and emotional transformations, but the importance of sexual health remains relatively unchanged. The majority of healthcare professionals find it challenging to discuss sexual health in the context of palliative care. What this paper adds? Patients and their partner remain relatively stable in most aspects of sexual health in the last 18 months of the patients' life. Patients' sexual desire significantly decreases in their last 18 months of life. Patients with worse physical functioning and/or prostate cancer reported a greater decline in most aspects of sexual health. Patients' sexual desire, activity and satisfaction were individually associated with the quality of life in the last 18 months of life. Implications for practice, theory, policy, or future research? Recognizing sexual health as an integral component of overall quality of life is essential. Discussing sexual health as healthcare professionals is important. Using short PROM's exploring the patient's need to discuss sexual health could facilitate the initiation of such a discussion. Future research is essential to examine whether patients perceive decreased sexual health as a concern and whether the meaning of sex changes at the end-of-life. Full paper available from: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/02692163251385774 If you would like to record a podcast about your published (or accepted) Palliative Medicine paper, please contact Dr Amara Nwosu: a.nwosu@lancaster.ac.uk

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Palliative care and assisted dying: Uneasy bedfellows

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Play Episode Listen Later Dec 22, 2025 5:30

This episode features Professor Nancy Preston (International Observatory on End of Life Care, Lancaster University, Lancaster, UK) and Professor James Downar (Division of Palliative Care, Department of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada) This podcast summarises a editorial which describes the critical intersection of palliative care and assisted dying where legalization has occurred. The authors address how palliative providers are likely to encounter requests for assisted dying, as currently 75–90% of requests come from people who are being treated by palliative care providers or who are admitted to palliative care facilities. The episode challenges the argument for separating these practices, suggesting that integration better supports patient values. It also explores the emotional impact on healthcare workers and the spectrum of their involvement. Full paper available from: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/02692163251365440 If you would like to record a podcast about your published (or accepted) Palliative Medicine paper, please contact Dr Amara Nwosu: a.nwosu@lancaster.ac.uk

Loading phenobarbital in paediatric home-based terminal care: A case series

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 22, 2025 3:39

This episode features Jo-Anne J. Kelly (Palliative Care South East, Narre Warren, VIC, Australia (Palliative Care South East, Narre Warren, VIC, Australia) and Dr Karen Aisling Griffin (Palliative Care South East, Narre Warren, VIC, Australia, Peninsula Health, Frankston, VIC, Australia) What is already known about this topic? Phenobarbital loading in the adult palliative cohort for refractory symptom management has been used for many years. However, there is little evidence, nor a guideline for palliative sedation for children at home. What does this paper add? An initial loading dose of phenobarbital may provide enhanced and quicker relief of refractory symptoms in the paediatric palliative care cohort receiving home-based terminal care. Implications for practice, theory, or policy? Further research is required to determine the efficacy of, and guidelines for administration of, a loading dose of phenobarbital for paediatric palliative care patients in the terminal phase, presenting with intractable symptoms. Full paper available from: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/02692163251395457 If you would like to record a podcast about your published (or accepted) Palliative Medicine paper, please contact Dr Amara Nwosu: a.nwosu@lancaster.ac.uk

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Balancing present-moment acceptance and future concerns: A qualitative study of illness experiences and perceptions of palliative care in progressive neurological diseases

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 22, 2025 5:10

This episode features Lily Man Lee Chan (School of Nursing, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR). What is already known about the topic? Progressive neurologic diseases involve complex, fluctuating symptoms and function decline. Palliative care aims to improve quality of life and symptom control. Access to palliative services is often limited to advanced disease stages or based on prognosis. Palliative care needs among people with progressive neurological diseases are understudied in Asian contexts. What this paper adds? People with progressive neurological diseases experience significant palliative care needs related to physical, psychosocial, and spiritual concerns from the early stages of illness, highlighting the necessity of early palliative care based on individual needs rather than prognosis. Patients with progressive neurological diseases navigated complex psychospiritual distress, transitioning from negativity to life renegotiation by fostering acceptance, focusing on the present, and embracing a positive outlook despite ongoing disease progression and future uncertainties. Findings underscore the importance of adopting a person-centered holistic approach that incorporates psychospiritual support, suggesting a symptom-based palliative care approach. Implications for practice, theory or policy Palliative care services should proactively assess and address the multidimensional needs of people with progressive neurological diseases from diagnosis onward, not only at advanced stages. Health professionals need to integrate psychospiritual care and facilitate timely, open conversations about future care preferences before cognitive decline occurs. Policy and service development should enable needs-based, flexible access to palliative care for people with progressive neurological diseases, and promote education for patients, families, and providers on the benefits of early palliative involvement. Full paper available from: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/02692163251394908 If you would like to record a podcast about your published (or accepted) Palliative Medicine paper, please contact Dr Amara Nwosu: a.nwosu@lancaster.ac.uk

End-of-Life Care and Hospice With Dr. Claudia Chou

Continuum Audio

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 17, 2025 19:39

In the hospital setting, neurologists may be responsible for managing common end-of-life symptoms. Comprehensive end-of-life care integrates knowledge of the biomedical aspects of disease with patients' values and preferences for care; psychosocial, cultural, and spiritual needs; and support for patients and their families. In this episode, Teshamae Monteith, MD, FAAN, speaks with Claudia Z. Chou, MD, author of the article "End-of-Life Care and Hospice" in the Continuum® December 2025 Neuropalliative Care issue. Dr. Monteith is the associate editor of Continuum® Audio and an associate professor of clinical neurology at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine in Miami, Florida. Dr. Knox is an assistant professor of neurology and a consultant in the Division of Community Internal Medicine, Geriatrics and Palliative Care at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. Additional Resources Read the article: End-of-Life Care and Hospice Subscribe to Continuum®: shop.lww.com/Continuum Earn CME (available only to AAN members): continpub.com/AudioCME Continuum® Aloud (verbatim audio-book style recordings of articles available only to Continuum® subscribers): continpub.com/Aloud More about the American Academy of Neurology: aan.com Social Media facebook.com/continuumcme @ContinuumAAN Host: @headacheMD Full episode transcript available here Dr Jones: This is Dr Lyell Jones, Editor-in-Chief of Continuum. Thank you for listening to Continuum Audio. Be sure to visit the links in the episode notes for information about earning CME, subscribing to the journal, and exclusive access to interviews not featured on the podcast. Dr Monteith: This is Dr Teshamae Monteith. Today I'm interviewing Dr Claudia Chou about her article on end-of-life care and hospice, which is found in the December 2025 Continuum issue on neuropalliative care. Welcome to our podcast. How are you? Dr Chou: I'm doing well. Thank you for having me. This is really exciting to be here. Dr Monteith: Absolutely. So, why don't you introduce yourself to our audience? Dr Chou: Sure. My name is Claudia Chou. I am a full time hospice and palliative medicine physician at Mayo Clinic in Rochester. I'm trained in neurology, movement disorders, and hospice and palliative medicine. I'm also passionate about education, and I'm the program director for the Hospice and Palliative Medicine fellowship here. Dr Monteith: Cool. So just learning about your training, I kind of have an idea of how you got into this work, but why don't you tell me what inspired you to get into this area? Dr Chou: It was chance, actually. And really just good luck, being in the right place at the right time. I was in my residency and felt like I was missing something in my training. I was seeing these patients who were suffering strokes and had acute decline in functional status. We were seeing patients with new diagnosis of glioblastoma and knowing what that future looked like for them. And while I went into neurology because of a love of neuroscience, localizing the lesion, all of those things that we all love about neurology, I still felt like I didn't have the skill set to serve patients where they perhaps needed me the most in those difficult times where they were dealing with serious illness and functional decline. And so, the serendipitous thing was that I saw a grand rounds presentation by someone who works in neurology and palliative care for people with Parkinson's disease. And truly, it's not an exaggeration to say that by the end of that lecture, I said, I need to do palliative care, I need to rotate in this, I need to learn more. I think this is what I've been missing. And I had plans to practice both movement disorders neurology and palliative care, but I finished training in 2020… and that was not a long time ago. We can think of all the things that were going on, all the different global forces that were influencing our day-to-day decisions. And the way things worked out, staying in palliative care was really what my family and I needed. Dr Monteith: Wow, so that's really interesting. Must have been a great lecturer. Dr Chou: Yes, like one of the best. Dr Monteith: So why don't you tell me about the objectives of your article? Dr Chou: The objectives may be to fill in some of the gaps in knowledge that may be present for the general neurologist. We learn so much in neurology training, so much about how to diagnose and treat diseases, and I think I would argue that this really is part and parcel of all we should be doing. We are the experts in these diseases, and just because we're shifting to end-of-life or transitioning to a different type of care doesn't mean that we back out of someone's care entirely or transition over to a hospice or palliative care expert. It is part of our job to be there and guide patients and their care partners through this next phase. You know, I'm not saying we all need to be hospice and palliative care experts, but we need to be able to take those first steps with patients and their care partners. And so, I think objectives are really to focus in on, what are those core pieces of knowledge for end-of-life care and understanding hospice so we can take those first steps with patients and their care partners? Dr Monteith: So, why don't you give us some of those essential points in your article? Dr Chou: Yeah. In one section of the article, I talk about common symptoms that someone might experience at the end of life and how we might manage those. These days, a lot of hospitals have order sets that talk us through those symptoms. We can check things off of a drop-down menu. And yet I think there's a little bit more nuance to that. There may be situations in which we would choose one medication over another. There may be medications that we've never really thought of in terms of symptom management before. Something that I learned in my hospice and palliative medicine fellowship was that haloperidol can be helpful for nausea. I know that's usually not one of our go-tos in neurology for any number of reasons. So, I think that extra knowledge can take us pretty far when we're managing end of life symptoms, particularly in the hospital setting. And then I think the other component is the hospice component. A lot of us may have not had experience talking about hospice, talking about what hospice can provide, and again, knowing how to take those first steps with patients. We may be referring to social work or palliative medicine to start those conversations. But again, I think this is something that's definitely learnable and something that should be part of our skill set in neurology. Dr Monteith: Great. And so, when you speak about symptom management and being more comfortable with the tools that we have, how can we be more efficient and more effective at that? Dr Chou: Think about what the common symptoms are at end of life. We may know this kind of intuitively, but what we commonly see are things like pain, nausea, dyspnea, anxiety, delirium or agitation. And so, I think having a little bit of a checklist in mind can be helpful. You know, how can I systematically think through a differential, almost, for why my patient might be uncomfortable? Why they might be restless? Have I thought through these different symptoms? Can I try a medication from my tool kit? See if that works, and if it does, we can continue on. If not, what's the next thing that I can pivot to? So, I think these are common skills for a little bit of a differential diagnosis, if you will, and how to work through these problems just with the end-of-life lens on it. Dr Monteith: So, are there any, like, validated tools or checklists that are freely available? Dr Chou: I don't think there's been anything particularly validated for end-of-life care in neurologic disease. And so, a lot of our treatments and our approaches are empiric, but I don't think there's been anything validated, per se. Dr Monteith: Great. So, why don't we talk a little bit about the approach to discussions on hospice? We all, as you kind of alluded to, want to be effective neurologists, care for our patients, but we sometimes deal with very debilitating diseases. And so, when we think that or suspect that our patient is kind of terminally ill, how do we approach that to our patients? Of course, our patients come from different backgrounds, different experiences. So, what is your approach? Dr Chou: So, when we talk about hospice and when a patient may be appropriate for hospice, we have to acknowledge that we think that they may be in the last six months of their disease. We as the neurologist are the experts in their disease and the best ones to weigh in on that prognosis. The patient and their care partners then have to accept that the type of care that hospice provides is what makes sense for them. Hospice focuses on comfort and treating a patient's comfort as the primary goal. Hospice is not as interested in treating cancer, say, to prolong life. Hospice is not as interested in life-prolonging measures and treatments that are not focused at comfort and quality of life. And so, when we have that alignment between our understanding of a patient's disease and their prognosis and the patient care partner's goal is to focus on comfort and quality of life above all else, that's when we have a patient who might be appropriate for hospice and ready to hear more about what that actually entails. Dr Monteith: And what are some, maybe, myths that neurologist healthcare professionals may have about hospice that you really want us to kind of have some clarity on? Dr Chou: That's a great question. What we often tell patients is that hospice's goal is to help patients live as well as possible in the time that they have left. Again, our primary objective is not life prolongation, but quality of life. Hospice's goal is also not to speed up or slow down the natural dying process. Sometimes we do get questions about that: can't you make this go faster or we're ready for the end. But really, we are there to help patients along the natural journey that their body is taking them on. And I think hospice care can actually be complex. In the inpatient setting, in particular in neurology, we may be seeing patients who have suffered large strokes and have perhaps only days to a few weeks of life left. But in the outpatient setting and in the home hospice setting, patients can be on hospice for many months, and so they will have new care needs, new urinary tract infections, sometimes new rashes, the need to change their insulin regimens around to avoid extremes of hyperglycemia or hypoglycemia. So, there is a lot of complexity in that care and a lot that can be wrapped up under that quality-of-life and comfort umbrella. Dr Monteith: And to get someone to hospice requires a bit of prognostication, right? Six months of prediction in terms of a terminal illness. I know there's some nuances to that. So how can you make us feel more comfortable about making the recommendations for hospice? Dr Chou: I think this is a big challenge in the field. We're normally guided by Medicare guidelines that say when a patient might be hospice-appropriate. And so, for a neurologic disease, this really only encompasses four conditions: ALS, stroke, coma, and Alzheimer's dementia. And we can think of all the other diseases that are not encompassed in those four. And so, I think we say that we paint the picture of what it means to have a prognosis of six months or less. So, from the neurologic side, that can be, what do you know about this disease and what end-stage might look like? What is the pattern of the patient's functional decline? What are they needing more help with? Are there other factors at play such as heart failure or COPD that may in and of themselves not be a qualifying diagnosis for hospice, but when it's taken together in the whole clinical picture, you have a patient who's very ill and one that you're worried may die in the next six months or less? Dr Monteith: Then you also had some nice charts on kind of disease-specific guidelines. Can you take us a little bit through that? Dr Chou: The article does contain tables about specific criteria that may qualify someone for hospice with these neurologic conditions. And they are pretty dense. I know they're a checklist of a lot of different things. And so, how we practice is by trying to refer patients to hospice based on those guidelines as much as possible and then using our own clinical judgment as well, what we have seen through taking care of patients through the years. So, again, really going back to that decline. What is making you feel uncomfortable about this patient's prognosis? What is making you feel like, gosh, this patient could be well supported by hospice, and they could have six months or less? So, all of that should go into your decision as well. And all of that should go into your discussion with the patient and their care partners. Dr Monteith: Yeah. And reading your article, what stood out was all the services that patients can receive under hospice. So, I think sometimes people think, okay, this is terminal illness, let's get to hospice for whatever reasons, but not necessarily all the lists and lists and lists of benefits of hospice. So, I don't know that everyone's aware of all those benefits. So, can you talk to us a little bit about that? Dr Chou: Yeah, I like that you brought that up because that's also something that I often say to patients and their care partners when we're talking about hospice. When the time is right for a patient to enroll in hospice, they should not feel like they're giving anything up. There should be no more clinical trial that they're hoping to chase down, and so they should just feel like they're gaining all of those good supports: care that comes to their home, a team that knows them well, someone that's available twenty-four hours a day by phone and can actually even come into the home setting if needed to help with symptom management. Hospice comes as well with the psychosocial supports for just coping with what dying looks like. We know that's not easy to be thinking about dying for oneself, or for a family member or care partner to be losing their loved one. So, all of those supports are built into hospice. I did want to make a distinction, too, that hospice does not provide custodial care, which I explain to patients as care of the body, those daily needs for bathing, dressing, eating, etc. Sometimes patients are interested in hospice because they're needing more help at home, and I have to tell them that unfortunately, our healthcare system is not built for that. And if that's the sole reason that someone is interested in hospice, we have to think about a different approach, because that is not part of the hospice benefit. Dr Monteith: Thank you for that. And then I learned about concurrent care. So why don't you tell us a little bit about that? That's a little bit of a nuance, right? Dr Chou: Yeah, that is a little bit of a nuance. And so, typically when patients are enrolling in hospice, they are transitioning from care the way that it's normally conducted in our healthcare system. So, outpatient visits to all of the specialists and to their primary care providers, the chance to go to the ER or the ICU for higher levels of care. And yet there are a subset of patients who can still have all of those cares alongside hospice care. That really applies to two specific populations: veterans who are receiving care through the Veterans Administration, and then younger patients, so twenty six years old and less, can receive that care through, essentially, a pediatric carve out. Dr Monteith: Great. Well, I mean, you gave so much information in your article, so our listeners are going to have to read it. I don't want you to spill everything, but if you can just kind of give me a sense what you want a neurologist to take away from your article, I think that would be helpful. Dr Chou: I think what I want neurologist to take away is that, again, this is something that is part of what we do as neurologists. This is part of our skill set, and this is part of what it means to take good care of patients. I think what we do in this transition period from kind of usual cares, diagnosis, full treatment to end of life, really can have impact on patients and their care partners. It's not uncommon for me to hear from family members who have had another loved one go through hospice about how that experience was positive or negative. And so, we can think about the influence for years to come, even, because of how well we can handle these transitions. That really can be more than the patient in front of us in their journey. That is really important, but it can also have wide-reaching implications beyond that. Dr Monteith: Excellent. And I know we were talking earlier a little bit about your excitement with the field and where it's going. So why don't you share some of that excitement? Dr Chou: Yeah. And so, I think there is a lot still to come in the field of neuropalliative care, particularly from an evidence base. I know we talked a lot about the soft skills, about presence and communication, but we are clinicians at heart, and we need to practice from an evidence base. I know that's been harder in palliative care, but we have some international work groups that really are trying to come together, see what our approaches look like, see where standardization may need to happen or where our differences are actually our strength. I think there can be a lot of variability in what palliative care looks like. So, my hope is that evidence base is coming through these collaborations. I know it's hard to have a conversation these days without talking about artificial intelligence, but that is certainly a hope. When you look at morbidity, when you look at patients with these complicated disease courses, what is pointing you in the direction of, again, a prognosis of six months or less or a patient who may do better with this disease versus not? And so, I think there's a lot to come from the artificial intelligence and big data realm. For the trainees listening out there, there is no better time to be excited about neuropalliative care and to be thinking about neuropalliative care. I said that I stumbled upon this field, and hopefully someone is inspired as well by listening to these podcasts and reading Continuum to know what this field is really about. And so, it's been exponential growth since I joined this field. We have medical students now who want to come into neuropalliative care as a profession. We have clinicians who are directors of neuropalliative care at their institutions. We have an international neuropalliative care society and neuropalliative care at AAN. And I think we are moving closer to that dream for all of us, which is that patients living with serious neurologic illness can be supported throughout that journey. High-quality, evidence-based palliative care. We're not there yet, but I think it is a possibility that we reach that in my lifetime. Dr Monteith: Well, excellent. I look forward to maybe another revision of this article with some of that work incorporated. And it's been wonderful to talk to you and to reflect on how better to approach patients that are towards the end of life and to help them with that decision-making process. Thank you so much. Dr Chou: Yeah, thank you for having me. And we're very excited about this issue. Dr Monteith: Today. I've been interviewing Dr Claudia Chou about her article on end-of-life care and hospice, which is found in the December 2025 Continuum issue on neuropalliative care. Be sure to check out Continuum Audio episodes from this and other issues, and thank you to our listeners for joining today. Dr Monteith: This is Dr Teshamae Monteith, Associate Editor of Continuum Audio. If you've enjoyed this episode, you'll love the journal, which is full of in-depth and clinically relevant information important for neurology practitioners. Use the link in the episode notes to learn more and subscribe. AAN members, you can get CME for listening to this interview by completing the evaluation at continpub.com/audioCME. Thank you for listening to Continuum Audio.

December 2025 Neuropalliative Care Issue With Dr. Maisha T. Robinson

Continuum Audio

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 3, 2025 21:57

In this episode, Lyell K. Jones Jr, MD, FAAN, speaks with Maisha T. Robinson, MD, MSHPM, FAAN, FAAHPM, who served as the guest editor of the December 2025 Neuropalliative Care issue. They provide a preview of the issue, which publishes on December 2, 2025. Dr. Jones is the editor-in-chief of Continuum: Lifelong Learning in Neurology® and is a professor of neurology at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. Dr. Robinson is the Chair of the Division of Palliative Medicine and an assistant professor of neurology at Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida. Additional Resources Read the issue: continuum.aan.com Subscribe to Continuum®: shop.lww.com/Continuum Continuum® Aloud (verbatim audio-book style recordings of articles available only to Continuum® subscribers): continpub.com/Aloud More about the American Academy of Neurology: aan.com Social Media facebook.com/continuumcme @ContinuumAAN Host: @LyellJ Guest: @neuropalldoc Full episode transcript available here Dr Jones: Most of us who see patients with chronic progressive neurologic disease are aware of the value of palliative care. The focus on symptom management and quality of life is a key aspect of helping these patients. But how many of us are comfortable starting the conversation about palliative care or care at the end of life? Today we have the opportunity to speak with a leading expert on neuropalliative care, Dr Maisha Robinson, about how we can better integrate neuropalliative care into our practices. Dr Jones: This is Dr Lyell Jones, Editor-in-Chief of Continuum. Thank you for listening to Continuum Audio. Be sure to visit the links in the episode notes for information about subscribing to the journal, listening to verbatim recordings of the articles, and exclusive access to interviews not featured on the podcast. Dr Jones: This is Dr Lyell Jones, Editor-in-Chief of Continuum: Lifelong Learning in Neurology. Today I'm interviewing Dr Maisha Robinson, who is Continuum's Guest Editor for our latest issue of Continuum on neuropalliative care, and our first-ever issue fully dedicated to this topic. Dr Robinson is an assistant professor of neurology at Mayo Clinic in Florida, where she is Chair of the Division of Palliative Medicine, and she also serves on the AAN Board of Directors as Chair of the Member Engagement Committee. Dr Robinson, welcome. Thank you for joining us today. Why don't you introduce yourself to our listeners? Dr Robinson: Well, Dr Jones, thank you for having me. Really a pleasure to be here. I'm Maisha Robinson at the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida. I spent my time as a neurohospitalist, a general palliative care physician, and a neuropalliative care physician. Dr Jones: So, this is a topic that at Continuum, we have heard about from subscribers for a long time requesting a fully dedicated issue to palliative care. And we've titled this neuropalliative Care. So, we want to respond to our subscribers and bring them content that they're interested in. I also think that palliative medicine is a big education gap in our specialty of neurology and something that we have room to improve on. So, let's start with the basics, Dr Robinson. Palliative medicine has been around for a long time, but this concept of "neuropalliative care" feels relatively new. What is neuropalliative care? Dr Robinson: That's a great question. Generally, what I would say is palliative care, first of all, is really just a specialty that focuses on trying to improve quality of life for people that have a serious or advanced medical condition. And neuropalliative care is really palliative care for people with neurologic conditions. And you'll see a number of neurologists doing neuropalliative care, but also there are internists as well, and people from other specialties, who focus on patients with neurologic disease and really trying to improve their quality of life. Dr Jones: Got it. And so, it's really the principles of palliative medicine in a specialty-specific context, which I think is important for us given the prevalence of chronic disease in our specialty. And I was obviously reading through these articles in this issue, and in the really wonderful articles, there are some themes that came up multiple times in various different articles. And one of them was obviously the importance of communication with patients and families. I think, and I'm speaking a little bit from personal experience here, many physicians feel uncomfortable bringing up the discussion of palliative care. And I'm sure that is something that reflects on your practice, too. How often do you have a patient who shows up to clinic and they ask you, why am I here? Dr Robinson: It happens all the time, because colleagues who are referring patients are nervous to tell them that they're sending them to palliative care. But we try to tell people it's really just to normalize it, to say that the palliative care team is going to see you, they're going to help with some symptoms, they're going to help you think about big picture, and they're going to be sort of an added layer of support to your team. And I think if people approach it from that standpoint, then patients and family members will say, that sounds great, I need a little extra support. Dr Jones: So, I think most neurologists have a threshold at which they would feel more comfortable having specialty support, having a palliative medicine specialist to help them in symptom management with the patient. For the palliative care that they provide themselves---and we want our subscribers to read this issue and feel more comfortable with delivering some palliative care on their own---how would you encourage them to begin that conversation? How should they initiate that conversation with a patient about working more toward palliative management of symptoms? Dr Robinson: So, one of the things we recommend is really introducing an approach to palliative care very early in the disease process. So, discussions about big picture and goals of care, discussions about who might help make medical decisions if the person can't make them for themselves. Those kinds of things can be discussed very early on. And in fact, that's palliative care. And then they can talk to patients more about the fact that as the disease progresses, there may be an additional team that can help walk along alongside the neurologist in helping you prepare for what's to come. You know, I think it's very important for patients and family members who feel like you're not abandoning them, but you're adding additional resources. And so, I like the way that we often will suggest to people to say partner or collaborate or bring in extra resources with the palliative care team. I think patients and family members will respond to that. Dr Jones: Yeah. So, by talking about it early, you kind of, at least, help to avoid that problem of the patient perceiving the introduction of palliative care as the quote-unquote "giving-up problem." Is that right? Dr Robinson: Correct. Because we also don't want to see people who are just being referred to us for end-of-life care. Palliative care is about much more than that. But if patients will Google palliative care, they may see hospice come up. And so, introducing the concept early and discussing some palliative topics early will allow the patient and family members to think that, okay, this isn't because I'm at the end of life. This is just because my clinician wants to make sure that I have all the bases covered. Dr Jones: This was also mentioned in several of the articles, the studies that have shown how frequently palliative care is initiated very near the end of life, which is usually, I think, perceived as a missed opportunity, right? To not wait so long to take advantage of what palliative care has to offer. Dr Robinson: That's correct. And the benefit of palliative care is that oftentimes we work alongside an interdisciplinary team, a team that could be quite helpful to patients and their support systems throughout the course of the disease. So, we have chaplains, we have nurses, we often have other clinicians, advanced practice providers as well, who work with us. We have spiritual advisors as well. And the patients and family members could benefit from some of those resources throughout the course of the disease. Who they might need to meet with may vary depending on what the disease is and how they're doing. But there's definitely some benefit to having a longitudinal relationship with the palliative care team and not just seeking them out at the end of life. Dr Jones: So- that's very helpful. So, it'll obviously vary according to an individual provider's level of comfort, right, where they're comfortable providing certain palliative management care versus when they need to have some assistance from a specialist. Are there types of care or are there certain thresholds that you say, wow, this patient really should go see a specialist in palliative medicine or neuropalliative care? Dr Robinson: So, I think that if there are, for instance, refractory symptoms, where the neurologist has been working with a patient for a while trying to manage certain symptoms and they're having some challenges, that person may benefit from being referred to palliative care. If patients are being hospitalized multiple times and frequently, that may suggest that a good serious-illness conversation may be necessary. If there are concerns about long-term artificial nutrition, hydration, or functional and cognitive decline, then some of those patients have benefited from palliative care. Not only the patient, but also the caregiver, because our team really focuses on trying to make sure that we're walking through the course of disease with these patients to ensure that all of the needs are managed both for the patient and the family member. Dr Jones: Got it. And that's very helpful. And I know that we talk about a lot of these decisions happening in an ideal environment when there's good access to the neurologist and good access to a palliative medicine specialist or even a neuropalliative medicine expert. In your general sense, I- and maybe we'll talk a little bit here in a minute or two about the growing interest in neuropalliative care. But in terms of access, in terms of availability of really, truly neuropalliative expertise, what is your sense of how widely available that is in the US? Dr Robinson: There's a shortfall of palliative care clinicians in the United States. Everybody who needs a palliative care clinician won't have access to one. And I think your point about the primary palliative care is so important. That's really what we encourage all clinicians, neurologists, neurosurgeons, even, physiatrists, the neurology care team members need to be comfortable with at least initiating some of these conversations. Because, to your point, not everyone's going to have access to a palliative care physician. But by reading issues such as this one, attending some courses---for instance at the American Academy of Neurology meetings---, doing some online trainings, those types of things can be helpful to bring any neurology clinician up to speed who certainly may not have access to a palliative care physician. Dr Jones: So, I know---and this is in part from my own conversations with patients in my own practice---there are a number of fears that patients have when they have a chronic disease, something that's progressive or something that we don't have a curative treatment for. But I think one of, if not the most common fear among patients is pain, and pain that can't be managed adequately during the course of chronic illness or at the end of life. One of the interesting concepts that I saw mentioned in a few of the articles in this issue is this concept of total pain. So, not just the somatic pain that I think we tend to think of as clinicians and patients tend to think of as patients, but a more holistic definition of pain. Walk us through that and how that relates to palliative medicine. Dr Robinson: So, Dame Cicely Saunders, the modern-day founder of palliative medicine, really described this biopsychosocial model for pain. And so, you're right, it's not just physical pain, but it's psychological pain, it's spiritual pain. And oftentimes when we are taking care of patients with neurologic disease, they may have some physical pain, but a lot of them are thinking about, for instance, the things that they will miss, which may cause some internal discomfort. Things that they're grieving, the life they thought they were going to have, the person that they used to be, the life they used to have, and what they anticipated their life as being. And some of that can cause people to have not only the spiritual discomfort, but also some psychological discomfort as well. And so, when we're thinking about how to provide rehensive care to these patients, we have to be thinking about all of these aspects. Dr Jones: It's really helpful. And I guess the more you can identify those, the more you can either help yourself or find the right expert to help the patient. I thought that was an interesting expansion of, of my view of how to think about pain. And another observation that came up in several of the articles was a lack of high-quality clinical trial evidence to inform a lot of the interventions in neuropalliative care. Some of them are common-sense, some of them are based on clinical experience or expert advice. In your own practice, if there was one key knowledge gap to close---in other words, if there was one pivotal trial that we could do to answer one question in helping patients with chronic neurologic disease---what would you say is the main gap? Dr Robinson: I think the real gap is, who needs palliative care and when? That seems very simple. We have tried things such as automatic triggers for palliative care, for instance, in patients with ALS, or we've said that maybe all glioblastoma patients should see palliative care. But is that true? Are we utilizing the resources in the best possible way that we can? We're not sure. And so, you'll see these practices doing things all a little bit different because we don't have a best practice and it's not really standardized about when people should see palliative care, or why, for instance, they should see palliative care, or who should see palliative care. And I think if we could help drill that down, we can provide some better guidance to our colleagues about when and why and who should see palliative care. Dr Jones: It's a really kind of a fundamental, foundational, who needs the service to begin with or who needs to care. Okay, that's- that is a big gap. So, one of the interesting concepts that I read- and it was in Benzi Kluger's article on neuropalliative care for patients who have movement disorders. I think it's a concept that is interesting, really, maybe in the management of patients with a lot of different chronic, progressive neurologic diseases. And it's this idea of stealing victories or bringing joy to patients. In other words, not just managing or trying to minimize some of the negative aspects or symptoms of disease, but looking for opportunities to bring something positive to their experience or improving their quality of life. Tell us a little more about that, because I think that's something patients would appreciate, but I think neurologists would appreciate that, too. Dr Robinson: Dr Kluger loves to talk about sustaining and finding joy in patients who have really serious or advanced neurologic conditions. He likes to talk about stealing victories, which can relate to the fact that patients and their loved ones can find even some benefit despite having a serious or advanced neurologic condition. Neurologists and neurology clinicians also can steal victories in their patients when they notice, for instance, that they've gained a new skill, and they've lost a skill that they used to love because of the advancing disease. And this is just an opportunity for not only the patients and family members, but also the care providers to recognize that in the midst of decline, there are positive things to be found. Dr Jones: I think it gives patients a sense of maybe reclaimed autonomy when they can say, well, there's maybe nothing I can do to cure this disease in the conventional sense, but I can maybe go on this trip with my family, which has been something I've always wanted to do. Or, I can do these things, so I can attend certain events that I want to. And I think that autonomy and independence aspect of that, I think that I think that was really meaningful and something that I'm going to bring back to my own practice in my care of patients who have ALS, for example. When you think about neuropalliative care---and you've been a leader in this area, Dr Robinson---what do you think the biggest change in neuropalliative care has been over the last few years? Dr Robinson: I think there's a growing cohort of people who are recognizing that there is some benefit in having dedicated specialists who focus on palliative care for patients with neurologic disease. When I said I was going to do neuropalliative care, somebody asked me, why would a neurologist be interested in palliative care? Over the last decade and a half, we've seen that shift. And not only are our colleagues recognizing the benefit, but also patients and caregivers are. Some are even asking for palliative care. I think people are recognizing that not only having their primary neurologist or neurology clinician taking care of them, they have this extra layer of support, and this extra team really focused on quality-of-life issues can be beneficial. Dr Jones: So, one of the things that I think you and I have both seen, Dr Robinson, is a growing interest among neurology trainees in palliative medicine. And maybe that's anecdotal, but in my own practice, I've seen more and more trainees express an interest in this. For neurology residents who are interested in this as a component of or maybe a focus of their career, what would you recommend to them? How should they go about this? Dr Robinson: Yes, it used to be that every neurology resident interested in palliative care would call me or email me or send me a message, but now there are so many that I can't keep up. We're excited about the growing number of people interested in neuropalliative care. What I would say to those people is that you can really try to hone your skills by, for instance, doing a rotation with the palliative care team at your hospital, if there is one. If there isn't one, you might even ask to spend some time with the local hospice agency, which may be helpful to you. If you're attending some of the national meetings---for instance, the American Academy of Neurology meeting---you may want to go to a course and learn a little bit about palliative care. There are a couple that are offered every year. There is an education opportunity for education in palliative and end-of-life care as well. And so, there are a number of resources that you can find in addition to this issue of Continuum as well. Dr Jones: I find it gratifying that trainees ask about this. And I'm sorry, I think I've probably sent a bunch of trainees your way for advice about this, and you've been incredibly generous with your time and expertise. So, I find it very gratifying that our neurology trainees are interested in this area, because it's an important area of medicine. It's also probably a challenging practice just from the cognitive load and the emotional load of caring for patients who are moving through a progressive illness. What is your thinking about how to have a sustainable career in palliative medicine? What is your approach to that? Is it for everyone? Dr Robinson: Yeah, the issue with palliative care is that we do see some very challenging situations, and frankly some very sad situations. But I actually love what I do because I think that we're helping patients and their family members during very, very difficult times. I feel like this is why I went to medical school, to try to be there for people when they need me the most. The way that I think about it is, the patients and family members will be going through this anyway. We're trying to help improve their quality of life as they're going through it. And what you might find interesting is that these patients are so grateful. And their loved ones, they're so grateful. Even if they're nearing the end of life, just to have someone who's helping them see that, for instance, the pain could be better, or that they have more resources for the loved ones to be able to take care of them. And so, I think that helps sustain us, realizing that we are really having a positive benefit on the patients and also their family members. Dr Jones: Well, I think that's a great point to end on. And these are patients who need help. Even if we don't have a curative therapy, they do need support. And that's an important service and a function and an important facet of our profession. So, Dr Robinson, I want to thank you for joining us, and I want to thank you for such a great discussion of neuropalliative care. I learned a lot from our conversation today. I've learned a lot reading the articles and the experts that you put together. This is an important topic. I'm really grateful to you to having assembled this team of expert authors and put together an issue that I think will be really important for not only our junior readers, but also our more experienced subscribers as well. Dr Robinson: Thank you, Dr Jones, for the opportunity. Dr Jones: Again, we've been speaking with Dr Maisha Robinson, Guest Editor of Continuum's most recent issue and first issue fully dedicated to neuropalliative care. Please check it out, and thank you to our listeners for joining today. Dr Monteith: This is Dr Teshamae Monteith, Associate Editor of Continuum Audio. If you've enjoyed this episode, you'll love the journal, which is full of in-depth and clinically relevant information important for neurology practitioners. Use the link in the episode notes to learn more and subscribe. Thank you for listening to Continuum Audio.

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The Chaplain and the Doctor: A Podcast with Betty Clark and Jessica Zitter

doctors chaplain ucsf cme palliative medicine

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 20, 2025 46:17

In this week's episode, we delve into the powerful documentary The Chaplain and The Doctor with two extraordinary guests: Betty Clark, the chaplain at the heart of the film, and Dr. Jessica Zitter, the physician and filmmaker who brought this story to the screen. The film provides a deeply moving look into the ways personal stories and biases shape our interactions in healthcare. Through our conversation with Betty and Jessica, I gained a valuable insight: the narratives we carry within ourselves—whether conscious or unconscious—act as invisible forces that influence how we engage with patients and colleagues. I also learned that recognizing these stories and the biases they may produce, rather than avoiding them, can foster more genuine and empathetic care. They also may lead to deep friendships, as is clearly shown between Betty and Jessica. I love both this podcast episode and the film itself, as they shine a light on the deeply human—and oftentimes flawed—experience of working in healthcare. They remind us of the vital role of storytelling in shaping how we care for patients, and the often-overlooked yet essential contributions of chaplains in healthcare settings. Betty and Jessica's reflections underscore how chaplains bring compassion and humanity to the medical team, offering emotional and spiritual support to patients and providers alike. If you're interested in watching The Chaplain and The Doctor during its festival tour, or would like to host a screening at your own institution, I encourage you to visit the film's website at TheChaplainandTheDoctor.com. This episode of the GeriPal Podcast is sponsored by UCSF's Division of Palliative Medicine, an amazing group doing world class palliative care. They are looking for physician faculty to join them in the inpatient and outpatient setting. To learn more about job opportunities, please click here: https://aprecruit.ucsf.edu/apply/JPF05811 ** NOTE: To claim CME credit for this episode, click here **

A Strategic Path Forward for Hospice & Palliative Care: Ira Byock, Kristi Newport, Brynn Bowman

ai advice chatgpt connecticut deadly medical director hospice palliative care family medicine md phd palliative medicine bad medicine hartford healthcare

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 13, 2025 53:05

In June of 2025, hospice and palliative care pioneer Ira Byock published a white paper outlining the urgent challenges facing the field today. In a nutshell, he expressed concerns that the quality of hospice care in the United States has become highly variable, with disturbing frequency of unethical practices and avaricious owners. He also raised concern that the rapid increase in palliative care program growth during the first two decades of this century has stalled, leaving us with understaffed programs that are often inadequately trained. Along with Ira, we've invited Kristi Newport, a palliative care doctor and Chief Medical Officer of the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine, and Brynn Bowman, Chief Executive Officer of the Center to Advance Palliative Care, to discuss these issues and outline a strategic path forward for the field. In particular we talk about Ira's four-part solution to transform the field and restore its integrity: (1) publishing clear clinical and programmatic standards, (2) making meaningful data publicly available to ensure transparency and accountability, (3) fostering quality-based competition among providers, and (4) embracing the authentic brand of hospice and palliative care—expert care that alleviates suffering and fosters well-being. So take a listen and dive a little deeper with these resources, and dont forget, you too can get involved in AAHPM (click here for opportunities): Ira's paper titled "A Strategic Path Forward for Hospice and Palliative Care: A White Paper on the Potential Future of the Field" Our previous podcast on "Is Hospice Losing Its Way" Our previous podcast on Private Equity Gobbling Up Hospices plus Hospice and Dementia with Melissa Aldridge, Krista Harrison, & Lauren Hunt CAPC's Serious Ilness Scorecard - a state-by-state look at palliative care capacity CAPC's second annual Palliative Pulse survey offers insight into how palliative care professionals across the country are feeling this year and what they're focused on National Hospice Locator and TCMTalks Podcast by Chris Comeaux and Cordt Kassner

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Bad Medicine: AI's Deadly Advice with Dr. Ross Albert

That Tech Pod

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 4, 2025 34:19

In this episode of That Tech Pod, Laura and Kevin talk with Kevin's brother, Dr. Ross Albert, Medical Director of Hartford HealthCare at Home Hospice and Palliative Care, about one of the most unsettling trends in the digital age: health misinformation driven by AI. The conversation kicks off with a real case of a man hospitalized after following ChatGPT's bad advice and spirals into the broader question of why people are so quick to trust AI over actual doctors.Ross shares what it's like when patients bring AI-generated “facts” into the exam room, how often he has to correct them, and what happens when politics, ideology, and misinformation collide with medicine. We get into the risks of fake medical citations, the line between bad advice and malpractice, and whether AI companies should be required to include stronger safeguards for health-related content. From hallucinations caused by bromide poisoning to the daily challenges doctors face correcting digital myths, this episode looks at what happens when artificial intelligence meets human vulnerability, and why it's more important than ever to check your sources before taking medical advice from a chatbot.Dr. Ross Albert, MD PhD is the Medical Director of the Hartford HealthCare at Home Hospice and Palliative Care teams. Over the last 15 years, he has practiced in primary care, hospital medicine, and palliative care roles across Connecticut. He holds board certifications in Family Medicine, Hospice and Palliative Medicine. Ross holds faculty positions with the UConn Internal Medicine and Quinnipiac Family Medicine residency programs. He has published numerous articles focused on evidence-based medical care for patients across the spectrum of disease.Note: this episode is for informational purposes only. We talk about how medical misinformation spreads and what we can learn from it, but nothing you hear should be taken as medical advice. If you have questions about your health, talk to a doctor or another qualified healthcare professional. Also the views expressed by our guests are their own.

ACMT Highlights Episode 67: Psychedelics and Palliative Medicine

Tox in Ten

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 27, 2025 9:39

In this episode Dr. Gillian Beauchamp sits down with Dr. Benjamin Hatten to discuss the potential role of psychedelics in palliative care medicine. Specifically data that shows improved outcomes in individuals who experience psychological stress related to a terminal or life limiting illness that is refractory to more traditional treatments such as antidepressants

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NEJM Interview: Eberechi Nwogu-Onyemkpa on integrating palliative care services and resources into the management of sickle cell disease.

New England Journal of Medicine Interviews

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 22, 2025 9:52

Eberechi Nwogu-Onyemkpa is an assistant professor in the Division of Palliative Medicine at Washington University in St. Louis. Stephen Morrissey, the interviewer, is the Executive Managing Editor of the Journal. E. Nwogu-Onyemkpa and Others. Involving Palliative Care to Improve Outcomes in Sickle Cell Disease. N Engl J Med 2025;393:1553-1556. E. Costa and Others. Thirty Years of Hydroxyurea for Sickle Cell Anemia — Scientific Progress, Global Health Gaps. N Engl J Med 2025;393:1556-1559.

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GeriPal Live! at NPCRC Foley Retreat: Dio Kavalieratos, Prasanna Ananth, Alexi Wright

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 16, 2025 57:41

This is the second GeriPal podcast we've recorded live using this format, see this link to our prior podcast at the Center to Advance Palliative Care (CAPC) meeting in Philadelphia. Also look for our upcoming podcast recorded live from the São Paulo Geriatrics & Gerontology Congress, click here to register. Today we join you from beautiful Banff, Alberta, Canada at the National Palliative Care Research Center (NPCRC) annual Kathleen Foley retreat. This meeting was bittersweet. I've been fortunate to attend every meeting in one capacity or another since 2006. The NPCRC made an enormous impact on the growth and capacity for palliative care research nationally. Personally, NPCRC funding was essential support as I was a new faculty member and had not yet secured longer term career development funding. More than anything, though, I will miss the NPCRC community. I treasure those meals, hikes, sing-alongs with others dedicated to improving care of people with serious illness through research. On today's podcast, we invited Dio Kavalieratos, Prasanna Ananth, and Alexi Wright to join us to talk about three articles that spoke to them. For each I leave you with a teaser of a hard question that was raised that we couldn't really answer. Prasanna chose an article by Abby Rosenberg about being fired in palliative care. We talked about why palliative care clinicians get fired, with Prasanna, a pediatric oncologist, raising the issue that it's more problematic when you're the oncologist providing primary palliative care and you get fired than if the consultant specialty palliative care provider is fired. Dio chose an article about the economic benefits of palliative care internationally, a call to action. We talked about the needs of palliative care internationally, and Alexi raised the question: should the highest standard of palliative care (e.g. in the US) apply to palliative care in every country, a la the Partners in Health model pioneered by the late Paul Farmer? Or should we “settle” for access to affordable opioids? Alexi chose an article about cancer care in prison. Alexi used it as a springboard to talk about other populations at compounded risk for poorer care in the current political environment. We hope you enjoy this one as much as we did, dear listeners. We're always trying to improve, and welcome your suggestions for how to improve upon this new “live” format. So far we've heard we need to be better at summarizing the articles for the audience/listeners, and finding ways to involve our live audience to a greater extent than the occasional question. Please let us know if you have other suggestions! Final note - check out the wonderful video NPCRC created about their impact on the field of palliative care (Eric and I were filmed recording GeriPal). -Alex Smith This episode of the GeriPal Podcast is sponsored by UCSF's Division of Palliative Medicine, an amazing group doing world class palliative care. They are looking for physician faculty to join them in the inpatient and outpatient setting. To learn more about job opportunities, please click here: https://aprecruit.ucsf.edu/apply/JPF05811

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A qualitative study exploring the perceptions and understandings of advance care planning by people with treatable but not curable cancer

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Play Episode Listen Later Oct 3, 2025 5:42

This episode features Professor Sheila Payne (International Observatory on End of Life Care, Health Innovation One, Lancaster University, Lancaster, UK). What is already known about the topic? Advance care planning is considered good practice in palliative and end of life care and is promoted in health policy. There is no standardised approach to advance care planning in practice. There is recent debate about the utility and effectiveness of advance care planning in palliative care contexts. What this paper adds Most patients did not recognise the concept of advance care planning and did not welcome conversations with health care providers about future planning despite many participants having done this prior to interview. Patients with treatable but not curable cancer live with uncertainty of prognosis in the context of ongoing and new treatment options, making advance care planning problematic. Most patients preferred to discuss future care, social and funeral arrangements within families, if at all. Implications for practice, theory or policy The principles of future care planning can be introduced early in treatment without making them specifically about planning for the last days of life. Healthcare professionals in cancer and palliative care may need to ensure that future care planning discussions evolve over time, with decisions made being routinely revisited in light of changes in disease progression, treatment options and prognosis. Future policy guidance on advance care planning needs to take account of the changing treatment landscape for those with treatable but not curable cancer. Full paper available from: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/02692163251363752 If you would like to record a podcast about your published (or accepted) Palliative Medicine paper, please contact Dr Amara Nwosu: a.nwosu@lancaster.ac.uk

Ep. 51 - Careering with Purpose: Insights from Clinician to Coach

Hot Topics in Kidney Health

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 1, 2025 28:24

In this episode of the HPNA Palliative Perspective Podcast, we welcome Doug Wubben, a health care professional with a diverse background in nursing and coaching. Doug brings extensive experience as an Oncology Case Manager and Goals of Care Educator, roles that have shaped his deep understanding of person-centered communication and interprofessional collaboration. Currently, he works as a Life & Leadership Coach, supporting clinicians as they navigate the personal and professional challenges of caregiving roles. In this episode, Doug shares insights from both his clinical practice and coaching work, offering a unique perspective on how we can address empathic distress, acknowledge and learn from a culture of mistakes, and build meaningful process improvements. He reminds us of the value in slowing down, making space to feel, and cultivating the most important compassion of them all—for ourselves. Doug Wubben, RN, BSN, PCC Doug Wubben, RN, BSN, PCC is a Life and Leadership Coach and High Reliability Specialist at the VA Hospital in Madison, WI. His career has been anything but linear—spanning roles as a caregiver, organic farmer, local food advocate, nurse, and now coach—giving him a rare lens on how humans grow through change and optimize life transitions. With 14 years in nursing and a deep commitment to end-of-life care, Doug has led countless goals-of-care conversations and trained hundreds of clinicians to approach them with clarity and compassion. Today, he's helping health care professionals turn their care inward—teaching them how tending to their own well-being unlocks deeper, more sustainable care for others. Brett Snodgrass, DNP, FNP-C, ACHPN®, FAANP Dr. Brett Snodgrass has been a registered nurse for 28 years and a Family Nurse Practitioner for 18 years, practicing in multiple settings, including family practice, urgent care, emergency departments, administration, chronic pain and palliative medicine. She is currently the Operations Director for Palliative Medicine at Baptist Health Systems in Memphis, TN. She is board certified with the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners. She is also a Fellow of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners and an Advanced Certified Hospice and Palliative Nurse. She completed a Doctorate of Nursing Practice at the University of Alabama – Huntsville. She is a nationally recognized nurse practitioner speaker and teacher. Brett is a chronic pain expert, working for more than 20 years with chronic pain and palliative patients in a variety of settings. She is honored to be the HPNA 2025 podcast host. She is married with two daughters, two son in laws, one grandson, and now an empty nest cat. She and her family are actively involved in their church and she is an avid reader.

Shared decision making in atypical hemolytic uremic syndrome

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 19, 2025 35:01

This NKF Live crossover episode features a discussion on shared decision making on medical treatment options for people with atypical hemolytic uremic syndrome (aHUS). Our faculty includes a patient expert and advocate -- the actor and Substack author, Taylor Coffman, as well as two nephrologists, Holly Koncicki, MD and Ramy Hanna, MD, an expert on aHUS. They'll cover a range of topics, with a focus on how to work with your medical team to achieve the best outcomes in aHUS. This discussion provides valuable tips and information not only for people with aHUS, but for all others who wish to gain insight into how to work with the most effectively with their medical team. In today's episode we heard from: Taylor Coffman is an actor, writer, podcast-maker, and mother with pregnancy-triggered aHUS. As a performer, she can be seen in Silicon Valley, Feud: Bette and Joan, and Life In Pieces, among others. Following her remission, Taylor also started work as a patient advocate helping those with life-changing diagnoses. She's a patient expert and the author of Rare Disease Girl substack, sharing her journey and life-navigation tools weekly Dr. Ramy Hanna ia an Associate Professor of Medicine and Nephrology at the University of California Irvine. He's a clinician-educator who's devoted to patient education and research on kidney diseases like aHUS. Dr. Hanna is focused on working with underserved communities, as well as improving the diagnostic process and treatment outcomes for patients. Dr. Holly Koncicki graduated from the Rutgers New Jersey Medical School and completed her Internal Medicine Residency and Fellowship training at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. She is triple board certified in Internal Medicine, Nephrology and Palliative Medicine and Hospice. She is one of a few physicians who has trained in an integrated program of Nephrology and Palliative Medicine and is part of a small group of experts in this field. Though she cares for patients with all types of kidney problems, her specialty is caring for older patients with kidney impairment. She is widely published and has spoken nationally on topics including decision making in advanced kidney disease and symptom management. Her research focuses on communication tools to improve communication between patients and providers around discussion of treatment options for kidney disease. In 2020, she was honored by receiving the Cullman Family Physician Communication Award. She prides herself in learning each patient's narrative that she treats, so she can best understand how to care for them. Additional Resources: Learn More About aHUS Do you have comments, questions, or suggestions? Email us at NKFpodcast@kidney.org. Also, make sure to rate and review us wherever you listen to podcasts.

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Ep. 50 - Shaping the Future: Innovations in Hospice & Palliative Nursing Education and Mentorship

Well Said | Zucker School of Medicine

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 2, 2025 30:24

Welcome to Episode 50 of the HPNA Palliative Perspective podcast—a meaningful milestone, and one that gave us pause to reflect on the incredible leaders who've shaped the hospice and palliative care space. In early conversations about this episode, we considered dedicating it to Betty Ferrell, a visionary in the field and the longtime Editor-in-Chief of JHPN, the Journal of Hospice and Palliative Nursing. But, in true Betty fashion, those close to her reminded us she prefers to stay out of the spotlight. So instead, we're honoring her legacy in a way we think she'd appreciate: by celebrating the educators. In this episode, we're shining a light on the hospice and palliative nurse educators featured in an upcoming issue of JHPN—innovators who are creating new programs and pushing boundaries in their Schools of Nursing to bring both primary and specialty palliative care to the forefront of nursing education. Their work is not only advancing the field but also shaping the future of compassionate care. Join Andra Davis, PhD, MN, RN, and Megan Lippe, PhD, MSN, RN, ANEF, FPCN®, FAAN—guest editors of the November issue of JHPN—as they share powerful insights on preparing the next generation of nurses in hospice and palliative care. Educating future nurses requires more than just a solid curriculum—it demands mentorship, creativity, and a deep, ongoing commitment. In this episode, we explore why palliative care is no longer a “nice to have,” but a necessity in nursing education. From shifts in accreditation standards to real-world bedside challenges, Drs. Davis and Lippe discuss the essential role faculty and mentors play in helping students navigate the emotional, clinical, and human complexities of whole person care. We also explore how practicing nurses can be part of this movement—supporting learners and strengthening the future of compassionate care. Podcast Notes/Links JPHN Article, releasing in Nov— https://journals.lww.com/jhpn/pages/default.aspx Betty Ferrell, speaking at HPNA Annual Conference, link Scope, Standards and Competencies for the Hospice & Palliative RN & APRN, link The Corner https://www.aacnnursing.org/elnec/elnec-faculty-corner Megan Lippe, PhD, MSN, RN, ANEF, FPCN®, FAAN Dr. Lippe is Associate Professor with tenure at the University of Texas Health San Antonio and a national leader in palliative nursing education. Her work focuses on educational innovation, simulation, interprofessional collaboration, and social justice. She serves as a co-investigator for the End of Life Nursing Education Consortium (ELNEC), helping advance palliative care education in nursing programs across the country. She has co-authored several key works in the field of palliative care, including undergraduate and graduate palliative care competence statements endorsed by the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (CARES and G-CARES, respectively), ELNEC Undergraduate/New Graduate and ELNEC Graduate online curricula, and the scopes section of the new Hospice and Palliative Nurses Association (HPNA) Scopes, Standards, and Competencies for Hospice and Palliative Registered Nurses (RNs) and Advanced Practice Registered Nurses (APRNs). In collaboration with colleagues, she has conducted research that led to the development of new tools to assess palliative care curriculum, self-competence, and knowledge among nursing students and entry-level nurses. Honors include 2019 Cambia Sojourns Scholar, 2017 ELNEC Award, and 2019 HPNA New Investigator Award. She is a fellow of the American Academy of Nursing, the Academy of Nursing Education and of Palliative Care Nursing by HPNA. Andra Davis, PhD, MN, RN Is an Associate Professor of Nursing at the University of Portland, where she teaches across both undergraduate and graduate programs. She is a co-investigator with the End-of-Life Nursing Education Consortium (ELNEC) and brings extensive clinical expertise in cancer symptom management, palliative care, and primary palliative nursing education. Dr. Davis's research centers on strengthening palliative care education, including revising national competency guidelines and developing outcome measures for undergraduate nursing programs. She is recognized for her leadership at regional and national levels in advancing the integration of palliative care into nursing curricula. Internationally, she collaborates with nursing colleagues in Thailand that expand access to palliative education, research, and caregiver wellbeing. Her scholarship also contributes to the evidence base for nurse-led, evidence-informed symptom management guides for patients undergoing cancer treatment. Brett Snodgrass, DNP, FNP-C, ACHPN®, FAANP Dr. Brett Snodgrass has been a registered nurse for 28 years and a Family Nurse Practitioner for 18 years, practicing in multiple settings, including family practice, urgent care, emergency departments, administration, chronic pain and palliative medicine. She is currently the Operations Director for Palliative Medicine at Baptist Health Systems in Memphis, TN. She is board certified with the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners. She is also a Fellow of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners and an Advanced Certified Hospice and Palliative Nurse. She completed a Doctorate of Nursing Practice at the University of Alabama – Huntsville. She is a nationally recognized nurse practitioner speaker and teacher. Brett is a chronic pain expert, working for more than 20 years with chronic pain and palliative patients in a variety of settings. She is honored to be the HPNA 2025 podcast host. She is married with two daughters, two son in laws, one grandson, and now an empty nest cat. She and her family are actively involved in their church and she is an avid reader.

Aging Population

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 18, 2025 26:10

Joining us on Well Said is Dr. Maria Torroella Carney, Northwell Aging Institute, System Chief of the Division of Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine, Medical Director for Continuing Care, and Professor of Medicine at the Zucker School of Medicine, to discuss the reality of aging in America and what we need to do now to prepare […]

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Art Museum-Based Medical Education: Amy Klein, Laura Morrison, and Gordon Wood

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 7, 2025 49:01

Health care trainees rotate through a variety of different settings. ICUs, hospital wards, and outpatient clinics. If they're lucky, they might even spend time in a nursing home. But on today's podcast, we're adding one more setting to that list: your local art museum. In this thought-provoking episode, we explore how art museum teaching is being integrated into the education of medical professionals—and why it's making a profound difference. Our guests, Amy Klein, Laura Morrison, and Gordon Wood, share their journey of integrating art into medical training, along with practical strategies you can use if you're inspired to do the same. You'll also hear how engaging with museum-based medical education can help health care professionals deepen empathy and emotional awareness, practice the skill of multiple perspective-taking, and grow more comfortable with ambiguity and uncertainty. Resources mentioned in the podcast include: A story about one medical student's experience with a day in the museum using multiple museum-based education exercices A Journal Article published in the Journal of Palliative Medicine titled “Museum-Based Education: A Novel Educational Approach for Hospice and Palliative Medicine Training Programs” A journal article on “Twelve Tips for Starting a Collaboration with an Art Museum.” A handout from the 2025 AAHPM/HPNA preconference gives examples of museum-based education exercises and resources for further training. Alex's summary of some prompts we discussed for the “Personal Responses Tour”, which is a reflective exercise where participants choose artwork based on a personal prompt, then share with a small group. The prompts include: Find a work of art that reminds you of a patient Find a work of art that reflects a challenging clinical situation Find a work that speaks to an experience you have had in your palliative medicine training that taught you about the impact of bias or racism Find a work that connects to the path you took into palliative care or geriatrics Find a piece that makes you think about community Find a piece that reflects your idea of what a “good death” is Lastly, stay on the “look out for” the 2026 Art Museum-Based Education preconferences session at the AAHPM/HPNA annual meeting on March 4, 2026 in San Diego!

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Ep. 49 - Reimagining Palliative Care: Conversations That Matter in Non-Traditional Settings

The Mike Hosking Breakfast

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 1, 2025 22:51

In this episode, Shena Gazaway joins us in a discussion of her nurse-led research, providing primary palliative care in patients' homes— where this care is urgently needed but often overlooked. We explore how she leads serious illness conversations, manages complex chronic conditions, and builds trust with patients and families to ensure care aligns with their values. From qualitative studies to pilot-tested toolkits that empower patients and caregivers—especially in underserved Black communities—we explore what it truly means to lead with empathy, equity, and evidence. Whether you're a nephrology nurse wondering how to deepen your role or a provider curious about innovative palliative care pathways, this episode offers practical insights, personal stories, and a call for more providers in this vital space. Shena Gazaway PhD, RN, CHPN® Shena Gazaway PhD, RN, CHPN® is currently an Assistant Professor in the School of Nursing at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. As a registered nurse working within the community, her practice experience stimulated her research interest in supporting upstream decision-making of seriously ill patients and families, particularly those who live in built environments that limit access to specialty palliative care services. In addition, her work centers on the belief that individuals living with serious illness are the best navigators of their illness experience, and interventions must incorporate local knowledge, beliefs, and practices for long-term success. Specifically, her research is focused on developing and optimizing community-informed decision-support interventions for individuals living with advanced chronic kidney disease and their caregivers. Shena is currently funded on a K23 from the NIDDK and a pilot grant the Forge AHEAD center, a P50 center grant funded by NIMHD. She and Dr. Wells also serve as co-I's on a pain heart failure intervention funded by the Alex and Rita Hillman Foundation. She is a past recipient of the Palliative Care Research Cooperative Pilot Grant Program and multiple internal funding mechanisms. Above all Shena is a mother, wife, daughter, friend, and sister, and so excited to share the next hour with you all today. Brett Snodgrass, DNP, FNP-C, ACHPN®, FAANP Dr. Brett Snodgrass has been a registered nurse for 28 years and a Family Nurse Practitioner for 18 years, practicing in multiple settings, including family practice, urgent care, emergency departments, administration, chronic pain and palliative medicine. She is currently the Operations Director for Palliative Medicine at Baptist Health Systems in Memphis, TN. She is board certified with the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners. She is also a Fellow of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners and an Advanced Certified Hospice and Palliative Nurse. She completed a Doctorate of Nursing Practice at the University of Alabama – Huntsville. She is a nationally recognized nurse practitioner speaker and teacher. Brett is a chronic pain expert, working for more than 20 years with chronic pain and palliative patients in a variety of settings. She is honored to be the HPNA 2025 podcast host. She is married with two daughters, two son in laws, one grandson, and now an empty nest cat. She and her family are actively involved in their church and she is an avid reader.

Catherine D'Souza: ANZ Society of Palliative Medicine Chair on New Zealand's palliative care system dropping to rank 12th in the world

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 24, 2025 2:01 Transcription Available

Our palliative care system may be waning as demand grows, prompting a push for action. We've fallen from third in the world in palliative care access ten years ago, to 12th place. An article in the New Zealand Medical Journal finds we have less than a third of the recommended number of specialists per capita, and many are nearing retirement. Author Dr Catherine D'Souza told Mike Hosking that we lack the funding to train more specialists, despite having ample opportunity and space to do so. She says that the number of people dying is going to double in the next thirty years, and if we don't take action quickly, already struggling health services are going to struggle even more and fall apart. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Virtual Grand Rounds/Clinical Update: Lessons Learned in Age-Friendly Medicine

CommonSpirit Health Physician Enterprise

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 17, 2025 53:56

Learning Objectives:Understand and analyze the key challenges facing healthcare systems in addressing the needs of an aging population with increasing rates of chronic and advanced illnesses.Describe the intersection of age-friendly care, geriatric and palliative care principles, and their synergistic application in improving the quality of life for individuals with multiple medical conditions.Identify strategies for implementing a more integrated and compassionate age friendly care approach that addresses the medical, functional, emotional, and social well-being of both patients and their family caregivers.Speaker:Maria Torroella Carney, MD, FACP, Professor, Institute of Health System Science, Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research; Chief, Geriatric and Palliative Medicine, Northwell Health; Associate Professor, Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/NorthwellModerator:Gary Greensweig, DO, FAAFP, System SVP/Chief Physician Executive, Physician Enterprise; Interim Chief Medical & Quality Officer (CMQO)Panelists:Barbara Martin, PhD, ACNP-BC, MPH, System Senior VP of Advanced PracticePrentice Lipsey, President & CEO, Senior Living & Transitional Care, CommonSpirit Health

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Shlomo Brody & Beth Popp: Demystifying Death and the End of Life [Loss 1/3]

18Forty Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 15, 2025 113:28

In this episode of the 18Forty Podcast, we talk to Rabbi Shlomo Brody and Dr. Beth Popp, who work with Ematai, an organization focused on end-of-life care, about the process of death and how we ought to live with our own mortality. In this episode we discuss: How do we connect to eternity within this finite existence? What halachic issues must we consider when making end-of-life decisions?What happens to the body of someone who's died? Tune in to hear a conversation about how we can sanctify life in the face of mortality. Interview begins at 18:30Rabbi Dr. Shlomo Brody is the executive director of Ematai and a columnist for The Jerusalem Post. His first book, A Guide to the Complex: Contemporary Halakhic Debates, received a National Jewish Book Award. His newest book, Ethics of Our Fighters: A Jewish View on War and Morality, was published in 2023. A summa cum laude graduate of Harvard College, he received rabbinic ordination from the Israeli Chief Rabbinate, an MA in Jewish philosophy at the Hebrew University, and his PhD from Bar Ilan University Law School.Dr. Beth Popp is a professor on the faculty of Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York, specializing in Hospice and Palliative Medicine. She has served on hospital ethics committees for most of her career and presents regularly to community groups to clarify the role of hospice and palliative care in the healthcare system. She has been extensively involved in educating rabbinic leaders about the medical aspects of serious illness and end-of-life care. References:Rabbi Yitzchak Hutner's Theology of Meaning by Alon ShalevPachad Yitzchak al Shavuot by Rabbi Yitzchak Hutner“Letters of Love and Rebuke From Rav Yitzchok Hutner” by David BashevkinHalakhic Man by Rabbi Joseph B. SoloveitchikEthics of Our Fighters: A Jewish View on War and Morality by Rabbi Dr. Shlomo BrodyA Guide to the Complex: Contemporary Halakhic Debates by Rabbi Dr. Shlomo BrodyThe Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca SklootThe Denial of Death by Ernest BeckerSeinfeld: “The Comeback”Being Mortal by Atul GawandeKaddish by Leon WieseltierWhen Breath Becomes Air by Paul KalanithiFor more 18Forty:NEWSLETTER: 18forty.org/joinCALL: (212) 582-1840EMAIL: info@18forty.orgWEBSITE: 18forty.orgIG: @18fortyX: @18_fortyWhatsApp: join hereBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/18forty-podcast--4344730/support.

82: End-of-Life Doulas

Rounding@IOWA

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 8, 2025 44:28

Join Dr. Clancy and Mary Kay Kusner, as they discuss guidance for clinicians with their patients on the benefits of doulas for end-of-life. CME Credit Available: https://uiowa.cloud-cme.com/course/courseoverview?P=0&EID=74698 Host: Gerard Clancy, MD Senior Associate Dean for External Affairs Professor of Psychiatry and Emergency Medicine University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine Guest: Mary Kay Kusner, MA, RCWP Pastor, Certified Death Doula Financial Disclosures: Dr. Gerard Clancy, his guests, and the members of the Rounding@IOWA planning committee have disclosed no relevant financial relationships . Nurse: The University of Iowa Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine designates this activity for a maximum of 0.75 ANCC contact hour. Physician: The University of Iowa Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine designates this enduring material for a maximum of 0.75 AMA PRA Category 1 CreditTM. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity. Other Health Care Providers: A certificate of completion will be available after successful completion of the course. (It is the responsibility of licensees to determine if this continuing education activity meets the requirements of their professional licensure board.) References/Resources: Si Qi Yoong, (2022) Death doulas as supportive companions in end-of-life care: A scoping review, Palliative Medicine, Volume 36, Issue 5, https://doi.org/10.1177/02692163221080659 (2022) Are Death Doula Trainings Substantial Enough? https://deathgriefandbelief.com/death-doula-training-programs/2022 Iani L, De Vincenzo F, Maruelli A, Chochinov HM, Ragghianti M, Durante S and Lombardo L (2020) Dignity Therapy Helps Terminally Ill Patients Maintain a Sense of Peace: Early Results of a Randomized Controlled Trial, Frontiers in Psychology, Volume 11 https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.01468 Rawlings, Tieman, Miller-Lewis, Swetenham (2019) What role do Death Doulas play in end-of-life care? A systematic review, Health and Social Care in the Community, Vol 27, Issue 3 https://doi.org/10.1111/hsc.12660 (2023) A Brief But Spectacular take on living like we're dying, PBS NewsHour https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pw8ibvPM6kI (2017) Being Mortal, Frontline, PBS https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/documentary/being-mortal/ (2016) AARP: Checklist for My Family: A Guide to My History, Financial Plans, and Final Wishes, Second Edition https://www.aarp.org/entertainment/books/bookstore/home-family-caregiving/info-2016/checklist-for-my-family.html

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Ep. 48 - From Anxiety to Acceptance: Psychedelics and the Hospice and Palliative Journey Possibilities

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 1, 2025 20:18

What role can psychedelics play in helping terminally ill patients face death with peace, clarity, and meaning? In this episode, we welcome Hannah Whitmore, PhD, RN, CHPN®, a Registered Nurse and PhD researcher whose work—The Pragmatism of Palliative Care—explores the clinical potential of Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy (PAT) to support death acceptance in patients at the end of life. Dr. Whitmore brings a compassionate and evidence-based lens to a topic that challenges long-standing models of care, offering insight into how PAT could be thoughtfully integrated into palliative and hospice settings. Together, we explore: The latest research on PAT for existential distress and death anxiety Clinical and ethical considerations when working with terminally ill populations Barriers to implementation and the future possibilities for PAT in end-of-life care How nursing science is shaping new approaches to healing at the end of life This episode is a grounded, deeply human conversation at the intersection of medicine, mortality, and meaning—guided by a nurse scientist dedicated to easing suffering when it matters most. Hannah Whitmore, PhD, RN, CHPN Certified hospice and palliative care nurse and clinician scientist, Dr. Whitmore supports individuals, families, and healthcare teams navigating serious illness and end-of-life transitions. Currently a post-doctoral fellow at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), she combines hands-on experience with a holistic approach informed by the latest research, mindfulness practices, and symptom management expertise. Her research focuses on symptom science and the integration of psychedelic-assisted therapy to address existential distress, depression, and promote death acceptance in seriously ill individuals. A member of Sigma Global Nursing Excellence, Dr. Whitmore guides healthcare teams and provides culturally sensitive care to diverse populations. She collaborates with healthcare organizations to enhance palliative care services and empowers individuals and teams to find resilience and dignity in complex end-of-life situations. Brett Snodgrass, DNP, FNP-C, ACHPN®, FAANP Dr. Brett Snodgrass has been a registered nurse for 28 years and a Family Nurse Practitioner for 18 years, practicing in multiple settings, including family practice, urgent care, emergency departments, administration, chronic pain and palliative medicine. She is currently the Operations Director for Palliative Medicine at Baptist Health Systems in Memphis, TN. She is board certified with the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners. She is also a Fellow of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners and an Advanced Certified Hospice and Palliative Nurse. She completed a Doctorate of Nursing Practice at the University of Alabama – Huntsville. She is a nationally recognized nurse practitioner speaker and teacher. Brett is a chronic pain expert, working for more than 20 years with chronic pain and palliative patients in a variety of settings. She is honored to be the HPNA 2025 podcast host. She is married with two daughters, two son in laws, one grandson, and now an empty nest cat. She and her family are actively involved in their church and she is an avid reader.

Ep. 47 - HPNA in DC - Advocacy on Capitol Hill

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 25, 2025 31:16

In this special episode, recorded on June 24 and released on June 25, we bring you a timely dispatch from Washington, D.C., where the Hospice and Palliative Nurses Association (HPNA) leadership and staff engaged in direct advocacy on Capitol Hill. Join Gayle Gerdes, Vice President of Health Policy Source and consultant to HPNA, and HPNA Manager of Advocacy and Health Policy Sarah Potter as they reflect on their experiences meeting with congressional staffers about HPNA's public policy priorities and amplifying the voices of hospice and palliative care nurses. This episode offers an insider look at the policy priorities that matter in 2025, from protecting federal programs that support nursing research, education, and workforce development to enactment of policies that improve access to quality hospice and palliative care—and how HPNA is uniquely positioned as an interprofessional voice in the conversation. Key highlights include: The purpose and power of advocacy—why storytelling matters Updates on the current climate in Washington, proposed cuts to healthcare programs that impact the interprofessional team and patient access to care, and HPNA's efforts to advance legislation supporting hospice and palliative care nursing HPNA's collaborations with national coalition partners and legislative champions in the House and Senate Reflections on the importance of nurse-led advocacy and new opportunities for HPNA members to share their stories and effect policy change at the state and national levels Whether you're new to policy or a seasoned advocate, this episode will leave you inspired to raise your voice—and equipped to do so effectively. Gayle Gerdes Gayle Gerdes is Vice President at Health Policy Source, a government relations firm in Washington, D.C. that provides strategic consulting and lobbying services to a broad group of clients in the health care space. Her health care background is an extensive mix of government and private sector experience. She spent several years on Capitol Hill where she worked in both the House and the Senate focusing her time on health care legislation. Later she moved to The Concord Coalition where she worked with the media, Members of Congress, and related organizations to educate the public on the federal budget and deficit. In particular, she delved into the relationship of Medicare and Social Security with the federal budget. In addition, Gayle has experience serving on the board of the Los Alamos Medical Center, and she has recently consulted for The Brooks Group and The Concord Coalition. Gayle graduated from the University of Arkansas with a B.A. in English and Communications. Sarah PotterSarah Potter is the Manager of Advocacy and Health Policy at the Hospice and Palliative Nurses Association (HPNA). Sarah has more than 20 years of experience in government relations, health policy, and communications, with a focus on healthcare workforce issues, Medicare, Medicaid, children's health, quality improvement, and the Affordable Care Act. She has developed and implemented state and federal advocacy campaigns and advocacy education programs for several national organizations, including the Pew Charitable Trusts, Independent Sector, the Premier Healthcare Alliance, and the Brookings Institution. Sarah began her career on Capitol Hill as a legislative and communications staffer for Rep. Karen McCarthy of Missouri and Senator Joe Lieberman of Connecticut and holds dual degrees in Journalism and Political Science from the University of Missouri Brett Snodgrass, DNP, FNP-C, ACHPN®, FAANP Dr. Brett Snodgrass has been a registered nurse for 28 years and a Family Nurse Practitioner for 18 years, practicing in multiple settings, including family practice, urgent care, emergency departments, administration, chronic pain and palliative medicine. She is currently the Operations Director for Palliative Medicine at Baptist Health Systems in Memphis, TN. She is board certified with the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners. She is also a Fellow of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners and an Advanced Certified Hospice and Palliative Nurse. She completed a Doctorate of Nursing Practice at the University of Alabama – Huntsville. She is a nationally recognized nurse practitioner speaker and teacher. Brett is a chronic pain expert, working for more than 20 years with chronic pain and palliative patients in a variety of settings. She is honored to be the HPNA 2025 podcast host. She is married with two daughters, two son in laws, one grandson, and now an empty nest cat. She and her family are actively involved in their church and she is an avid reader.

Ep. 46 - Meeting People Where They Are: Harm Reduction in Hospice & Palliative Care

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 2, 2025 23:31

In this episode, we hear from Deb Russell, RN, MSN, FNP-BC, APRN-CNP, ACHPN® with over 20 years in the field, currently leading care in an outpatient, harm-reduction-based palliative clinic. She provides palliative support to patients undergoing active cancer treatment who are also living with substance use disorders—a population with complex and often unmet needs. Deb shares firsthand insight into: Navigating symptom management during cancer treatment in patients with active addiction Building trust through a harm-reduction approach Collaborating closely with an interdisciplinary team including a physician and pharmacist Deb shares the unique challenges and clinical considerations—of meeting this patient population where they are—safely managing pain, communication, and care coordination. This conversation offers practical insights and compassionate strategies for anyone caring for patients with co-occurring serious illness and SUD. Deb Russell, RN, MSN, FNP-BC, APRN-CNP, ACHPN® Deb Russell, RN, MSN, FNP-BC, APRN-CNP, ACHPN® is a dedicated Nurse Practitioner specializing in Palliative Care, with a focus on cancer and addiction. With a deep commitment to patient-centered care, Deb provides compassionate support to patients battling both cancer and substance use disorders. With over 18 years of experience mostly inpatient, now in the ambulatory setting, Deb works closely with the interdisciplinary team to develop care plans that improve patient outcomes. Deb is passionate about bridging the gap between oncology and addiction, advocating for treatment approaches that empower patients throughout their journey. Deb has co-authored a paper “Creating a Palliative Care Clinic for Patients with Cancer and Substance Use Disorder” and presented a poster at the Oncology Nursing Congress on” Nurse Practitioner Integration in a Multidisciplinary Team Caring for Patients with Cancer and Addiction”. Brett Snodgrass, DNP, FNP-C, ACHPN®, FAANP Dr. Brett Snodgrass has been a registered nurse for 28 years and a Family Nurse Practitioner for 18 years, practicing in multiple settings, including family practice, urgent care, emergency departments, administration, chronic pain and palliative medicine. She is currently the Operations Director for Palliative Medicine at Baptist Health Systems in Memphis, TN. She is board certified with the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners. She is also a Fellow of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners and an Advanced Certified Hospice and Palliative Nurse. She completed a Doctorate of Nursing Practice at the University of Alabama – Huntsville. She is a nationally recognized nurse practitioner speaker and teacher. Brett is a chronic pain expert, working for more than 20 years with chronic pain and palliative patients in a variety of settings. She is honored to be the HPNA 2025 podcast host. She is married with two daughters, two son in laws, one grandson, and now an empty nest cat. She and her family are actively involved in their church and she is an avid reader.

Caring for an Aging Population with Dr. Maria Torroella Carney, Northwell Health

Outcomes Rocket

Play Episode Listen Later May 2, 2025 10:00

Both hospice and geriatric care are underutilized and misunderstood despite offering critical support for quality of life, especially for older adults. In this episode, Maria Torroella Carney, Chief of Geriatric and Palliative Medicine for Northwell Health and co-author of "The Aging Revolution," discusses the importance of reframing healthcare systems to better serve the growing aging population. She highlights the need for increased home care, caregiver support, and innovative technologies, emphasizing the role of family caregivers as an "invisible workforce." Maria addresses the rising number of "elder orphans" who lack family support and the need to identify them early and provide necessary resources. She also shares that while palliative care is gaining traction, geriatric medicine faces a decline in interest, underscoring the need for initiatives like the Age-Friendly Health System. Tune in to discover the specific policy changes that could improve hospice access and what healthcare systems should do to better address the unique needs of older adults! Resources: Connect with and follow Maria Torroella Carney on LinkedIn. Discover more about Northwell Health on LinkedIn and their website. Buy Maria Torroella Carney's The Aging Revolution here.

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Ep. 45 -  The Heart of a Hospice Nurse

Play Episode Listen Later May 1, 2025 24:58

In this deeply personal and resonant episode, longtime hospice nurse and podcast host of The Heart of Hospice, Helen Bauer, BSN RN CHPN®, shares an intimate look at the soul of hospice nursing — the part that's rarely documented but always deeply felt. With more than seven years behind the mic and a career alongside patients and families at the bedside, Helen reflects on the intimacy and intensity of hospice care, and the challenges of translating those sacred moments into clinical notes and checkboxes. Together, we explore the personhood-centered mindset that defines exceptional hospice nursing: arriving as a blank slate, open and eager to learn who the patient is, then crafting care that honors the individual's story, values, and needs. Helen speaks candidly about the emotional toll of the work, the cumulative grief nurses carry, and the resilience it takes to keep showing up — not just for patients, but for ourselves. Listeners will hear reflections on: The artistry and difficulty of painting a picture through documentation How hospice nurses excel at education and advocacy, even outside traditional care settings What we're doing well as a community — and where we can grow The value of Hospice Navigation Services and empowering families with information The quiet power of showing up, day after day, with care and presence This episode is a tribute to hospice nurses everywhere — a reminder that your work matters, your presence is powerful, and you are just as important as the care you provide. Whether you're a hospice nurse, a health care professional, or a family member navigating end-of-life care, this episode will speak to the heart of what it means to accompany someone at life's end — with compassion, courage, and creativity. Helen Bauer, BSN RN CHPN® Helen Bauer is a highly experienced hospice nurse with more than 15 years dedicated to end-of-life care. Her expertise spans across bedside care, caregiver support, nursing leadership, and hospice consulting. Since 2016, she has been the voice behind The Heart of Hospice podcast, where she shares her deep knowledge and compassionate approach to end-of-life care. As the founder of Hospice Navigation Services, Helen provides unbiased, expert guidance and support for individuals and families navigating the complexities of hospice and serious illness. Her work as an End of Life Educator and Advocate focuses on empowering caregivers and hospice workers, ensuring that those facing serious illness experience the best possible care at the end of life. Known for her compassion, empathy, and respect, she remains a trusted resource in the field of hospice care. Brett Snodgrass, DNP, FNP-C, ACHPN®, FAANP Dr. Brett Snodgrass has been a registered nurse for 28 years and a Family Nurse Practitioner for 18 years, practicing in multiple settings, including family practice, urgent care, emergency departments, administration, chronic pain and palliative medicine. She is currently the Operations Director for Palliative Medicine at Baptist Health Systems in Memphis, TN. She is board certified with the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners. She is also a Fellow of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners and an Advanced Certified Hospice and Palliative Nurse. She completed a Doctorate of Nursing Practice at the University of Alabama – Huntsville. She is a nationally recognized nurse practitioner speaker and teacher. Brett is a chronic pain expert, working for more than 20 years with chronic pain and palliative patients in a variety of settings. She is honored to be the HPNA 2025 podcast host. She is married with two daughters, two son in laws, one grandson, and now an empty nest cat. She and her family are actively involved in their church and she is an avid reader.

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