Hands-on training under NPPC, Bengaluru, Nov 2017

Report on the Hands – on training program under the National Programme in Palliative Care (2 – 4 November, 2017) at Karunashraya, Bengaluru.

The second phase of the Training of Trainers program – the ‘Hands-on training’ program under the National Programme in Palliative Care was held at Bangalore Hospice Trust – Karunashraya, in Bengaluru from 2 – 4 November, 2017.

The 3 day session was attended by 13 participants from 7 states – Assam, Chattisgarh, Gujarat, Haryana, Mizoram, Puducherry and Uttarakhand. Each state was represented by a Doctor-Nurse pair except for Uttarakhand which was represented by only a nurse. Refer to Annexure 1 for list of participants.

The session was delivered by 7 eminent faculty members, all with many years of experience in palliative care. The program covered an array of topics that included introduction to Palliative Care, delivering care in different settings and emergencies in palliative care. An important aspect was doing ward rounds in small groups. This ensured better learning. A workshop on communication skills gave the participants an opportunity to discuss important communication issues like breaking bad news and handling difficult situations. All the participants also assisted in wound dressings and learnt efficient documentation practices etc. Refer to Annexure 2 for the complete training schedule.

The interactive sessions facilitated a cross fertilization of ideas when participants shared their care delivery mechanisms (in various settings) using locally available resources and innovations. Sharing of the vast on-field experiences by the experts further enriched the program.

A post training feedback was obtained at the end of the 3 day session. Refer to Annexure 3 for the feedback form. An analysis of the responses highlighted that 42% of the participants felt that the overall balance / mix from the session was excellent, 41% of them said it was very good, 75% of participants felt the course met their needs in an excellent / very good manner, 50% of participants responded that the theory sessions were excellent while 67% of them felt that the ward rounds were excellent.

Participants highlighted that the communication skill workshop, the psychosocial aspects in care delivery for both the patient and their family, the concept of total pain management, dressing techniques using locally available resources (turmeric, charcoal etc.) were very informative and that these learnings would certainly propel them towards ensuring that patients have a comfortable and dignified end.

Most participants recommended that the theory and the hands-on session be combined and delivered as a 5 day module for greater effectiveness. They feel that this restructuring would prevent the repetition of topics while providing adequate time for practical sessions. Refer to Annexure 4 for complete feedback.

Limitations in time posed restrictions as topics such as obtaining a counsellor’s perspective in care delivery, euthanasia, legal frameworks and its provisions, teaching techniques and techniques on care-for-self were only touched upon. Participants wished to have gone more in-depth into the above mentioned.

Dr. Alok Mathur, Additional Deputy Director General, MoHFW, GoI attended the third day of the session and presented certificates to the participants and faculty. Copies of all training materials (power point presentation) were also shared with participants post the 3 day session. Karunashraya is happy to support ongoing training and will keep in touch with this cohort. Please refer to Annexure 5 for the attendance sheet.