Sharing Resources to Disseminate Knowledge and Improve Comfort Theory-Guided Practice

Publication Date: March 7, 2023

In 2016, the Massachusetts for Serious Illness Care was formed through a collaboration of local healthcare, advocacy, and academic institutions. The mission of the organization is “to strengthen the communication, collaboration, and connection between the healthcare system and communities, and between patients and clinicians, to support what matters most to everyone seeking care, especially people living with serious illness” (MCSIC, 2022). The MCSIC convened a nursing taskforce comprised of faculty and community leaders to strengthen nurses’ abilities and confidence to provide high-quality, inclusive, and equitable care for people living with serious illness in Massachusetts. The goal of this group was to be a leader in preparing and educating all nurses in palliative care and serious illness communication.

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'Why is God doing this to me?' Experts explain spirituality's place in health care for seriously ill

February 9, 2023

Inspired by recent study, Divinity School panelists explore the spiritual side of health care. Making patients feel psychologically safe about discussing their spirituality is key, said panelist Anna Gosline, executive director of the Massachusetts Coalition for Serious Illness Care.

Are you teaching this spring? Launching our new Nursing Resources website

February 9, 2023

We're thrilled to announce our Nursing Resources website, which was developed by our Nursing Taskforce Resources Workgroup. They identified and vetted resources for faculty to incorporate into teaching materials. From case studies to podcasts, journal articles to videos, most of the resources are free and we provide recommendations on how to bring them into the classroom, exam room, and patient room. Join us for a webinar to learn about navigating the website and we'll share some of our favorite resources on Tues, 2/28, 12-12:45pm ET on Zoom.

On language and power

February 27, 2023

A couple weeks ago, I was on a panel about the intersection of spirituality and serious illness care. I was one of the speakers reacting to a landmark meta analysis, published in JAMA, led by Tracy Balboni, a researcher and radiation oncologist at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. It found high quality evidence that spiritual care was broadly associated with better serious illness outcomes. (Probably not a surprise to all of you.) The whole evening left me buzzing on a million ideas, but I was especially struck by two things: