While dying at home is often described as desirable, to our knowledge, no reviews have focused specifically on people’s reasons for wanting to die at home. This review describes the breadth of what is known about motivations, attitudes, ideas, and reasons underlying the decision to choose “home” as one’s preferred placed of death.

This review was guided by a scoping review methodology following a five-stage approach including: (1) identify the research question, (2) identify relevant studies, (3) select studies based on inclusion/exclusion criteria, (4) chart the data, and (5) summarize and report the results.

Seventeen articles were identified that met inclusion/exclusion criteria and discussed motivations underlying people’s desires to die at home. Thirty-five percent of studies were from Canada (n = 6/17), 29% were from Europe (n = 5/17), and 29% were from Asia (n = 5/17). Most studies (n = 11/17) used methods that involved collecting and/or analyzing interview data from participants, while the remaining studies (n = 6/17) used methods that involved administering and analyzing surveys or questionnaires. Characteristics of participants varied, but most commonly, studies included people with advanced illnesses who were nearing death (35% of studies, n = 6/17). Motivations for choosing a home death included desires to preserve a sense of self, factors relating to interpersonal relationships, and topics such as culture, religion, socioeconomic status, living situation, and lived experience.

The many interconnected reasons that lead people to choose a home death vary, as individuals have a range of motivations for choosing to die at home, which are highly influenced by contextual and cultural factors. Ultimately, this review will provide a comprehensive description of factors which may inform end-of-life planning, highlighting needs to be considered when planning the preferred location of a death.

Effective communication during specialist palliative care (PC) referral is linked to improved health outcomes. Initiating a conversation about PC is difficult and poor communication can lead to stigma. The aim of this descriptive phenomenological study was to explore the communication experiences of persons referred to specialist PC services and their carers and explore strategies to improve such experiences.

Purposive sampling was used to recruit 17 participants who were either receiving specialist PC and/or caring for someone who was receiving specialist PC. Participants were recruited from a hospice. Inductive thematic analysis was conducted.

Four themes were identified: (i) The why, who, what, when, where, and how of PC referral; (ii) initial thoughts and feelings about referral to PC; (iii) enhancing the communication of PC referral; and (iv) addressing practical needs during PC referral. Participants were referred either through their general practitioner or oncologist. Initially, participants linked PC referral to death. This perception changed when participants started availing of the services. Compassion, empathy, hope, privacy, in-person communication, individualized referral, and information dosing were identified as building blocks for effective communication. Participants stressed the importance of raising public awareness of PC and addressing the practical needs of individuals being referred.

The communication of PC referral should be tailored to meet the individual needs of patients and carers. Delivering clear and simple information is important to help patients and carers understand and accept the referral.

Caregivers play a significant role in the process of Voluntary Assisted Dying (VAD), reporting stances of support, opposition, or ambivalence. Though caregiver vulnerability is recognized, little is understood about how caregivers adjust when patients seek VAD. We sought to appreciate how bereaved caregivers of patients in organizations that did not participate in VAD processed and adapted to the challenges faced.

We purposefully recruited caregivers from cases reviewed in a retrospective study exploring how VAD impacted the quality of palliative care. We further expanded sampling to maximize diverse views. We used qualitative interpretative phenomenological analysis to explore unique caregiver perspectives.

Twenty-three caregivers completed interviews. Most were female, Australian-born, retired, identified with no religion, bereaved for 1–3 years, and in a caregiving role for 1–5 years. Caregivers sought accompaniment and non-abandonment across all stages of VAD. Coping was enhanced through framing and reframing thought processes and reconciling values. Caregivers bore responsibility through heightened emotions and experienced isolation and anticipatory grief as they reconciled perceived societal attitudes. Caregivers additionally failed to understand the rationale behind organizational stances and were unable to articulate the moral conflicts that arose. Impartiality from professionals was valued for caregivers to sustain care for the patient.

Despite feelings of vulnerability and isolation, caregivers demonstrated benevolence, courage, and self-compassion, reframing and accommodating their concerns. Professional accompaniment and non-abandonment necessitate solidarity and empowerment, without necessarily enabling VAD. Findings demonstrated the need for individuals and organizations to clearly articulate their willingness to continue to accompany patients, regardless of their position on VAD.

Practitioners in the West care for patients from diverse backgrounds. For Muslim patients who experience end-of-life in a foreign society, it is especially prudent to provide access to cultural and religiously appropriate practices. The Quran, the Islamic Holy book, is a key central aspect in the life of a Muslim. Ruqyah, that is – recitation of the Quran, is an often unrealized and misunderstood facet to a peaceful end-of-life for Muslim patients receiving palliative care. Ruqyah may offer comfort and be a source of relief for some Muslims but may be misunderstood as a lack of acceptance of impending death.

This case report and single patient chart review describes the use of Ruqyah at the end-of-life and the role of Western practitioners as it relates to this practice. A critical analysis was undertaken to address the themes of hope, spirituality, and autonomy at end-of-life followed by a literature review.

Maintaining a sense of hope is a religious duty albeit one in which the outcome is not within the believer’s hands. For Muslims, to hope is to believe – which is to accept death when it arrives. In a varied world with rich cultures, it is fundamental for end-of-life providers to incorporate cultural or religious rituals into their working knowledge of the dying process.

This case demonstrates the importance of the basic understanding of Islamic end-of-life practices in conjunction with Muslim spiritual and chaplaincy resources.

This study aimed to map the actual care pathways for pediatric and adult palliative care (PC) patients at a hospital in the Region of Murcia (Spain) utilizing Process Mining (PM) techniques. The goal was to identify inefficiencies and areas for improvement in providing comprehensive and coordinated care to enhance patient outcomes.

A retrospective review of anonymized clinical records was conducted, covering data from 2002 to 2021 for adult patients and from 2001 to 2021 for pediatric patients. The final dataset for adults comprised records from 85 patients and 2,696 episodes, and, for pediatric patients, the dataset included 57 individuals with 1,912 episodes. PM techniques (concretely, PMApp) facilitated the visualization and evaluation of actual care pathways, compared to theoretical models, highlighting bottlenecks and variabilities.

The analysis revealed distinct care pathways for adult and pediatric patients. Pediatric pathways showed inconsistencies with theoretical models due to variability in diseases and care needs, while adult pathways aligned better with expectations. Key inefficiencies included delays in shifting to home care and multiple visits to the hospital Emergency Department before referral to specialized teams. Simplified process models provided clearer insights into frequent care pathways and highlighted critical transition points, supporting optimization strategies.

The findings underscore the utility of PM in enhancing care pathway transparency, identifying inefficiencies, and supporting data-driven process redesign. The study advocates for updating theoretical models and adopting structured data collection to reduce variability and improve PC delivery. These measures are critical for achieving consistent, patient-centered care across diverse healthcare settings.

End-of-life care poses significant ethical challenges for nurses, requiring a deep understanding of moral empathy and ethical decision-making. This study examines the impact of these factors on end-of-life decision-making among nurses in oncology and pain management units in Egypt.

A cross-sectional design was employed to gather data from participants at a single point in time, facilitating an analysis of the relationships among ethical principles, moral empathy, and nursing practice. The study involved 246 registered nurses with at least 6 months of experience, selected through stratified random sampling from oncology and pain management units in Damietta, Egypt. These settings were chosen due to their central role in palliative care, as Damietta serves as a regional healthcare hub with specialized units addressing chronic and end-of-life conditions. This selection allows for an in-depth exploration of the ethical dimensions involved in providing palliative care. Informed consent was acquired from all participants, ensuring confidentiality and the right to withdraw from the study at any time.

The findings indicated that 72% of participants reported high levels of moral empathy, which positively correlated with ethical decision-making scores (r = 0.65, p < 0.01). However, 58% of the nurses also reported experiencing moderate to high levels of moral distress in various clinical scenarios. Additionally, nurses in supportive ethical climates experienced significantly lower moral distress than those in less supportive settings (p < 0.05).

This study highlights the importance of integrating ethical training and moral empathy into nursing education and practice. The findings underscore the need for policy reforms to embed ethics and empathy training in nursing curricula and professional development programs, fostering ethical competence and enhancing patient care quality.

Standardized measures to evaluate neurological patients in palliative care are missing. The Integrated Palliative Outcome Scale, a self-report tailored for neurological patients (IPOS Neuro-S8) helps identify symptom burden but lacks validation in German. This study aimed to validate the IPOS Neuro-S8 in severely affected multiple sclerosis (MS) patients.

This validation study is a secondary analysis of data from a clinical phase II intervention study with severely affected MS patients. The original study enrolled German-speaking patients aged 18 with severe MS who receive an escalating immunotherapeutic agent and/or exhibit a high level of disability were recruited from the administrative district Cologne (#DRKS00021783). In this validation study, we evaluated construct, discriminant, and convergent validity, internal consistency, test–retest reliability, and sensitivity to change of the IPOS Neuro-S8, using the “Hamburger Lebensqualitätsmessinstrument” (HALEMS), and the Hospice and Palliative Care Evaluation supplemented by neurological symptoms (HOPE+) as comparison measures.

Data from 80 MS patients (mean age 56, SD = 11) were analyzed. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses revealed a 3-factor structure (r = 0.34–0.63), reflecting distinct clinical patterns, i.e., breath-mouth connection, pain-sleep cycle, and nausea-vomiting link. Significant convergent validity to hypothesized total score of the HOPE+ (rs(78) = 0.71, p < 0.001) and good discriminant validity using the HALEMS total score (rs(78) = 0.48, p < 0.001) were observed. Correlation with physical symptoms of the HALEMS was stronger than with nonphysical aspects. Internal consistency (Cronbach’s α = 0.67) and test–retest reliability (intraclass coefficient = 0.75) were acceptable.

IPOS Neuro-S8 displays promising psychometric properties for assessing palliative care symptoms in severe MS, a model for other severe neurological diseases due to MS's broad central nervous involvement, allowing findings to be transferable to other neurological diseases. A criterion for minimal clinically important difference was established to evaluate the sensitivity to change. Additional validation across different neurological conditions and disease severities is warranted to enhance generalizability and clinical utility.

To explore the spiritual needs and resources of People with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (PALS) at different stages of its trajectory and to characterize the experiences of the current state of the disease.

A convergent mixed-methods study was conducted using qualitative and quantitative approaches. Participants were assessed using the clinical and sociodemographic data, ALSFRS-R (function assessment), and the GES Questionnaire to evaluate spiritual needs and resources. Data were collected through in-person or online interviews, transcribed and coded. The qualitative analysis was based on the content analysis method. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS software. Both datasets were integrated during data analysis.

Twenty-four patients were interviewed, with a duration of the illness ranging from 1 year to 12 years. Participants were at different stages of functional dependence. Analyzing the open questions of the GES questionnaire, six categories were established related to the inner world of PALS: Concern, Nuisance, Help, Support, Safety, and Valorization. Contrary to what was hypothesized, no correlations were found between functionality and the spiritual dimensions. Spiritual needs and resources tend to vary with age, with younger ages presenting a more fragile spiritual dimension overall. Also, the intrapersonal and interpersonal dimension seems to play a central role in the lives of PALS. A negative correlation was identified between the feeling of connection to a supreme/transcendent reality and the level of educational qualifications.

Spirituality often provides crucial emotional support, meaning, and resilience during challenging times. Despite its importance, it is often overlooked in clinical settings. The study emphasizes the need for personalized, holistic care, which should include spiritual care support, regardless of the functional state, highlighting the importance of addressing both intrapersonal and interpersonal domains, resources and needs from early phases. Allowing to create a structured care plan that meets patients’ individual spiritual needs, that can contribute to a better QoL and reduce suffering.

This study aimed to explore what is important for hospice providers to know when a seriously ill parent has adolescent children.

The sample included 18 young adults (18–28 years old) whose parents died in hospice or palliative care while they were adolescents (12–18 years old). Semi-structured interviews were conducted virtually via Microsoft Teams. The interviews were audiotaped, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed using a thematic analysis. Themes emerged from the data and were determined by consensus.

The participants described a variety of skills that are important for hospice providers to know. They provided specific suggestions for hospice providers who seek to help adolescents navigate this critical time when their parents are dying or have recently died.

These results can also be used to inform the development of interventions that assist hospice providers with strategies tailored to an adolescent’s specific needs. Future research should investigate these topics with a larger, more diverse sample.

Moral distress affects a significant proportion of clinicians who have received requests and participated in euthanasia or physician-assisted suicide (E/PAS) globally. It has been reported that personal and professional support needs are often unaddressed, with only a minority of those reporting adverse impacts seeking support.

This study aimed to review studies from 2017 to 2023 for the perceived risks, harms, and benefits to doctors of administering E/PAS and the ethical implications for the profession of medicine resulting from this practice.

The search explored original research papers published in peer-reviewed English language literature between June 2017 and December 2023 to extend prior reviews. This included both studies reporting quantitative and qualitative data, with a specific focus on the impact on, or response from, physicians to their participation in E/PAS. The quantitative review was guided by the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA). The qualitative review used the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme to assess whether studies were valid, reliable, and trustworthy.

Thirty studies (quantitative n = 5, qualitative n = 22, mixed methods n = 3) were identified and fulfilled acceptable research assessment criteria. The following 5 themes arose from the synthesis of qualitative studies: (1) experience of the request prior to administration; (2) the doctor’s role and agency in the death of a patient; (3) moral distress post-administration; (4) workload and burnout; and (5) professional guidance and support. Both quantitative and qualitative studies showed a significant proportion of clinicians (45.8–80%) have been adversely affected by their involvement in E/PAS, with only a minority of those reporting adverse impacts seeking support.

Participation in E/PAS can reward some and cause moral distress in others. For many clinicians, this can include significant adverse personal and professional consequences, thereby impacting the medical profession as a whole.

This study aims to explore the everyday experiences of people living with Lewy body dementia and their families, to deepen understanding of their care needs. Lewy body dementia is a neurodegenerative condition associated with shorter life-expectancy and poorer quality of life than other forms of dementia. Cognitive fluctuations, visual hallucinations, falls, and motor features of Parkinsonism gives rise to complex and debilitating symptoms. Other prominent features include behavioral and emotional problems, rapid eye movement sleep disorder, and autonomic dysfunction. Improving palliative care for people with dementia continues to be an international priority; however, little is known as to how a palliative care approach could support people living with Lewy body dementia and their families.

Drawing on narrative theory of self and personhood, a qualitative, longitudinal narrative approach provided unique insights into 5 couples’ experiences of living with Lewy body dementia. Analysis was conducted using Murray’s levels of narrative analysis in health psychology to explore stories at the personal, interpersonal, positional, and societal level.

Participants with Lewy body dementia described losses associated with communication, continence, and energy leading to a progressive loss of independence. For their family caregivers a loss of companionship was particularly salient. These losses, compounded by a perceived lack of clinical support, resulted in suffering both for the person with Lewy body dementia, and for those close to them.

There has been a societal and political shift to move beyond loss in dementia, to a focus on abilities and living well. However, acknowledging loss, while supporting symptom management is an important aspect of Lewy body dementia care. Providing person-centered, palliative supportive care throughout the disease trajectory could reduce suffering and enhance well-being.

Objective. Witnessing existential suffering in patients is associated with increased risks of compassion fatigue and burnout in palliative care physicians. Finding meaning is a protective factor for burnout and is associated with increased job satisfaction and a sense of purpose.

While the significance of finding meaning through the doctor-patient relationship is widely recognized, less is known about the subjective experience of palliative care physicians, how they ascribe meaning, and how meaning sustains them. The aim of this study was to describe and interpret how palliative care physicians experience meaning when caring for patients.

Method. Hermeneutic-phenomenology, inspired by the philosophy of Heidegger and Gadamer, informed the methodological approach. Ten palliative care physicians, caring for adult patients, completed semi-structured interviews. Van Manen’s “lifeworld existentials” supported our reflexive hermeneutic analysis to interpret participants’ moments of meaning-making.

Results. Our analysis identified two interpretive concepts for meaning-making: moments of connection and moments of transformation. Meaningful connection occurred when physicians and patients together acknowledged existential suffering in death and dying and experienced it on a personal, human level. Often, experiences were fleeting but had a lasting impact. Experiences of connection had a transformational effect on physicians and were associated with a sense of reward and purpose in palliative care work.

Significance of results. Findings are discussed in relation to philosophical literature on the experience of time, contrasting man-made time with the existential experience of time. Moments of connection and transformation experienced by palliative care physicians fueled their commitment to their profession. At a time when burn-out is rife, identifying, describing, and understanding moments of meaning may offer protective benefits for physicians working in palliative care.

Patients with cancer frequently experience insomnia that significantly impacts their quality of life, worsens existing symptoms, and potentially hinders treatment outcomes and recovery. Here, we report on 3 cancer patients whose insomnia was improved with low-dose olanzapine.

A retrospective review of medical records was conducted for 3 cancer patients experiencing insomnia treated with olanzapine at Johns Hopkins Hospital. The data collection included the type of cancer diagnosis, the level of insomnia severity experienced by individuals, and treatment results and outcome.

Olanzapine improved sleep in all 3 patients and decreased nausea/vomiting and anxiety in patients 2 and 3.

A low dose of olanzapine has potential to treat insomnia in cancer patients. The ideal dosing regimens and potential risks are unclear, especially for long-term use. More research and clinical trials are needed to evaluate off-label use of olanzapine for insomnia, including its efficacy and risks, and to optimize the dosage to reduce its side effects in cancer patients. Oncology providers should consider olanzapine as a potential treatment for insomnia, especially given its off-label uses and potential benefits.

Cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) is the second most lethal primary hepatic malignancy. It has been well-reported that most cancer patients prefer to die at home or in a hospice facility. However, there is limited data on the place of death for CCA patients. We evaluated trends and disparities in place of death for patients with CCA from 1999 to 2020.

Using the CDC WONDER database (1999–2020), we calculated the frequency of CCA deaths at home/hospice and the average annual percentage change (AAPC) over this period stratified by race, age, gender, and region. We employed logistic regression to assess for associations between these variables and place of death for patients whose death was attributed to CCA.

Among 140,422 deaths, a rise in deaths occurred in home/hospice facilities compared to inpatient medical or nursing facilities across all variables examined. Blacks and individuals ≥ 85 had the highest proportion of deaths outside of home/hospice. However, Blacks showed the highest AAPC (8.56%) in home/hospice deaths, followed by Asians (AAPC 8.44%). In contrast, individuals aged 45–54 saw the lowest AAPC (4.27%). Non-whites were less likely to die at home/hospice, with Blacks demonstrating the lowest adjusted odds ratio (aOR 0.64). Those ≥ 85 were less likely to die in home/hospice (aOR 0.78), whereas individuals aged between 55–64 (aOR 1.11) and 65–74 (aOR 1.12) had increased odds of dying in these settings. Patients from the Western region were the most likely to die at home/hospice (aOR 1.04).

Our study highlights disparities in place of death of patients with CCA amongst races, regions, and ages. Non-whites, extremes of ages, and patients from the Northeast have disproportionately poor outcomes in terms of end-of-life care in the US. These findings emphasize the need for efforts to address sociodemographic disparities in end-of-life care to improve patient-centered health outcomes.