Using Contemplative Medicine to Harness Compassion in the Palliative Care Setting: Lessons Learned.

Background: Burnout is common among palliative care clinicians caring for patients with a serious illness. Contemplative medicine is an emerging approach that aims to utilize Buddhist concepts of mindfulness, insight, and compassion to address unspoken suffering in clinicians.

Objectives: To introduce and share contemplative medicine practices with Hospice Palliative Medicine (HPM) fellows participating in two academic programs in New York.

Interventions for behavioral health comorbidities in the hospice setting: a scoping review.

Background: Behavioral health (BH) comorbidities in hospice patients are widespread and impact important outcomes, including symptom burden, quality of life, and caregiver wellbeing. However, evidence-based BH interventions tailored for the hospice setting remain understudied.

Methods: We conducted a scoping review with the objective of mapping studies of interventions for BH comorbidities in the hospice setting.

Operationalizing Depression Screening in Ambulatory Palliative Care: A Quality Improvement Project.

Background: Depression is common in the palliative care setting and impacts outcomes. Operationalized screening is unusual in palliative care.

Local Problem: Lack of operationalized depression screening at two ambulatory palliative care sites.

Healthcare Provider Perspectives Regarding Use of Medical Interpreters During End-of-Life Conversations With Limited English Proficient Patients.

Background: Healthcare providers increasingly care for patients with Limited English Proficiency (LEP). There is limited research evaluating healthcare provider utilization practices, attitudes, perceived benefits and barriers regarding the use of medical interpreters in end of life (EOL) and goals of care (GOC) conversations.

Objectives: To elicit healthcare providers' opinions of the role, factors that impact decisions to use medical interpreters and perceived utility of using medical interpreters when conducting EOL and GOC conversations with LEP patients and their families.

Outpatient Palliative Care Practice for Cancer Patients During COVID-19 Pandemic: Benefits and Barriers of Using Telemedicine.

The current COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the way outpatient palliative care providers deliver care for patients and their families. Operational changes such as the reduction of in-person care to minimize the risk of exposure is a way healthcare has adjusted to the pandemic. Our New York City-based outpatient palliative care practice is embedded in oncology.

Missed Opportunities When Communicating With Limited English-Proficient Patients During End-of-Life Conversations: Insights From Spanish-Speaking and Chinese-Speaking Medical Interpreters.

Context: Research has shown that using medical interpreters in language-discordant patient-provider encounters improves outcomes. There is limited research evaluating the views of medical interpreters on best interpreter practices when they are used to break bad news or participate in end-of-life (EOL) conversations.

Objectives: To develop insights from medical interpreters about their role when interpreting discussions regarding EOL issues, identify practices interpreters perceive as helping to improve or hinder patient-provider communication, and obtain suggestions on how to improve communication during EOL conversations with Spanish-speaking and Chinese-speaking patients.

Communication involving special populations: older adults with cancer.

Purpose Of Review: Cancer has a high incidence and death rate among older adults. The objective of this article is to summarize current literature about communication between older adults and medical professionals in cancer care. Our article addresses four categories related to communication: first, ageism; second, screening; third, treatment; and fourth, end of life (EoL) care.

Interpreting at the End of Life: A Systematic Review of the Impact of Interpreters on the Delivery of Palliative Care Services to Cancer Patients With Limited English Proficiency.

Context: Language barriers can influence the health quality and outcomes of limited English proficiency (LEP) patients at end of life, including symptom assessment and utilization of hospice services.

Objectives: To determine how professional medical interpreters influence the delivery of palliative care services to LEP patients.

Methods: We conducted a systematic review of the literature in all available languages of six databases from 1960 to 2014.