Patients’ involvement in the decision-making process is essential for shared decision-making and optimal patient-centered care. However, when there are concerns about a patient’s cognition and judgmen, the complexity of providing patient-centered care increases. It is often necessary to evaluate patients’ decision-making capacity (DMC) to determine whether they are able to make a particular decision or whether to rely on their previously expressed wishes or the patient’s caregivers.

In this article, we present a case of an older adult with colon cancer who presented to the emergency room.

We describe how multidisciplinary care can enhance the evaluation of DMC and improve quality of care for older patients with advanced cancer.

Multidisciplinary discussions and good communication skills are essential for navigating these complex situations, reducing potential harm and maximizimizing quality of life.

An effective communication seemed to be crucial in all the cancer care phases, like diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment options.

To analyze and interpret structured and open-ended questionnaire responses, focusing on the communication of bad news in onco-hematology: health care professionals’ attitudes, communication methods, and perceived stress levels.

By employing a free Large Language Model, we identified and summarized the main emotions and perspectives shared by professionals.

A total of 221 Italian nurses and physicians employed in onco-hematology field were enrolled. The analysis revealed key emotional themes, offering insights into the professionals’ emotional states and coping mechanisms when delivering difficult news.

Data highlighted the duality of emotions experienced by nurses when delivering bad news – balancing professional composure with emotional distress, underscoring the critical role of empathy, team support, and adequate preparation in helping nurses navigate these challenging conversations.

Many factors are known to influence experiences in bereavement. With a growing focus on public health approaches to bereavement support, it is important to further understand factors which healthcare workers (HCW) can influence regarding bereavement experiences for families. The study aim was to describe the experience of people bereaved following a death in Sydney Local Health District (SLHD), with particular focus on people’s awareness and experience of available supports and the perceived impact of healthcare interactions on bereavement experiences.

The study used semi-structured qualitative interviews (n = 15) to explore the experiences of bereaved people. These were recorded, transcribed, and analyzed using a Reflexive Thematic Analysis approach.

Themes were generated showing the ways in which healthcare and bereavement experiences are mediated by personal interactions; that information and its delivery are central to shaping experiences; and the impacts of healthcare and government system issues on experiences of care and access to support. Attention to these factors may positively impact end-of-life care and subsequent bereavement experiences.

It is illuminating to consider the results in light of proposed public health approaches to bereavement. Our findings assist in understanding the role that HCWs have in supporting preparation for death, providing care with the potential to prevent negative bereavement outcomes, and offering short-term bereavement support. This is key in planning models that acknowledge the essential role HCWs play within public health approaches to bereavement support. Findings can inform education and training in healthcare, with a focus on approaches that affirm dignity and positive relationships, ensure sensitive and timely information provision, and enhance skilled communication. Recommendations can support policy and system improvements to enhance bereavement outcomes.

Pediatric cancer survivors are at increased risk for neurocognitive challenges that can impact academic achievement and attainment. Educational supports via accommodations or special education can promote better outcomes for these youth; however, barriers often stand in the way of appropriate supports being implemented. Neuropsychological evaluation reports highlight a child’s neurocognitive strengths and needs, but an additional tool to assist parents and educators in understanding the extent to which a child’s neurocognitive needs are addressed by their educational supports may help ensure appropriate supports.

The present study piloted a novel neurocognitive needs-to-educational supports alignment rubric in a referred sample of pediatric survivors of cancer, bone marrow transplant, and cancer predisposition syndromes (i.e., neurofibromatosis).

Inter-rater reliability across disciplines was satisfactory. Among school-aged patients who were attending public school (n = 90), mean needs-to-supports alignment was 20.3%, indicating that on average, referred patients were receiving minimal classroom supports addressing identified neurocognitive needs. Among the 42.9% with a formal support plan, proportion of needs met by a support rose to only 47%, indicating that in spite of some recognition of patient needs, supports remain inadequate to the breadth of patient needs.

This alignment tool can assist parents and educators in better tailoring a child’s educational supports to meet their needs, serve as a communication tool between healthcare and education teams, and provide a quantitative metric for evaluating educationally focused interventions (e.g., school liaison programming) in youth with a variety of chronic health conditions and developmental disabilities.

Severe laryngeal dysfunction following (chemo)radiotherapy for head and neck cancer may be managed with functional salvage total laryngectomy (FSTL). We investigated communication and swallowing outcomes following FSTL at our tertiary centre.

All patients treated with FSTL from 2009–2023 were included. Functional Oral Intake Scale score and primary mode of communication were recorded at pre-surgical baseline, point of discharge from inpatient admission, six and 12 months post-surgery.

Ten patients were identified. Pre-surgery all patients were nil by mouth due to severe dysphagia, and 70 per cent were communicating verbally. By 12 months post-surgery, 70 per cent were tolerating full oral intake and 40 per cent were using surgical voice restoration as the primary mode of communication.

Variability in functional outcome must be explained to patients who are offered surgical management of non-functioning larynx, and further work is needed to identify factors that may influence outcome.