Education and Training
33 individuals participate in the December 2023 batch of the IAPC’s ‘Certificate Course in the Physiotherapy – Palliative Care interface’
33 individuals (21 Physiotherapists, 8 Doctors and 3 Nurses) from across the country and beyond participated in the fourth online batch of the IAPC’s ‘Certificate Course in the Physiotherapy – Palliative Care interface’, which was conducted on Saturday, 2nd December, 2023.
The one-day certificate course was successful in enhancing a physiotherapists’ understanding of how they can contribute towards the provisioning of holistic quality palliative care, and also aimed to enhance the understanding of palliative care doctors and nurses regarding the benefits of integrating physiotherapy in their routine practice, so that every patient benefits from functional improvement and rehabilitation.
The IAPC thanks the expert faculty from AIIMS, New Delhi, and the Cancer Institute, Chennai, for their excellent support and contribution towards this program.
While we received constructive feedback towards further improving the program, we also received positive feedback about the program. We thank our course participants for taking the time to share feedback. Excerpts below:
“Informative resource persons, Excellent time management, Good and rich discussions”
“There was good knowledge sharing, everything was explained well and the doubts were cleared at individual level”
49 individuals participated in the IAPC’s ‘Certificate Course in Managing Psychosocial Issues of patients with Chronic Illnesses in Palliative Care settings’ held in December 2023
49 enthusiastic professionals from across the country participated in the IAPC’s third online batch of the ‘Certificate course in managing psychosocial issues of patients with chronic illnesses in Palliative Care settings‘.
The week-long interactive course was conducted for 3 hours over weekends and 2 hours over weekdays, between Sunday, 3rd December, 2023, and Saturday, 9th December, 2023 (both dates included).
Course participants (Doctors, Nurses, Counsellors, Psychologists and Social workers) are now equipped with the necessary knowledge and skills to better understand and manage the psychosocial and spiritual issues that impact the quality of life of patients (and their families) with chronic illnesses in Palliative Care settings.
The IAPC extends its gratitude to all the expert Faculty for their continuous support and excellent contribution towards this program. The IAPC also thanks our course participants for sharing their feedback towards further improving the quality of the course. Excerpts from the feedback received as below:
“The Course was very informative and very helpful to manage the end-of-life concerns for the palliative care patients in my setting.”
“The course content, the depth of sessions, and the clarifications provided by the faculty was excellent.”
“Faculty presented beautiful presentations in easy to understand language with good information”
EPEC-India, APM, and KMC MAHE, jointly conduct EPEC 2023 between 8th and 10th December, 2023
The Education in Palliative and End-of-Life Care Program (EPEC), a Palliative Medicine Professional Development Workshop, was organised at the Department of Medical Education, MAHE, Manipal, between Friday, 8th December, 2023, and Sunday, 10th December, 2023. The 2.5 day workshop was organised jointly by EPEC-India, Academy of Palliative Medicine (APM) and Kasturba Medical College (KMC) MAHE.
This unique event wasn’t just a training session but was a catalyst for change as it aimed to equip current and future educators in Palliative Medicine with skills to shape the future generations of compassionate caregivers.
40 MD and DNB participants from various institutions spread across the country delved into the “how” of effective palliative care education and became co-creators during the interactive workshop. Renowned International (Prof Joshua Hauser, Prof Gordon Wood, Prof Janet Abrahm, Prof Hunter Groninger from EPEC – USA) and national experts (Dr Mary Ann Muckaden, Dr Jayita Deodhar, Dr Pankaj Singhai and Dr Anuja Damani) shared insights on building impactful curricula, utilising interactive methods, and fostering empathy in learners. Sessions also included practical skills on pain assessment, navigating sensitive conversations, and managing ethical dilemmas. Role-playing exercises, group discussions, and case studies allowed for the testing of newly acquired skills and created an opportunity to receive feedback from peers and mentors.
The workshop also facilitated the cross-pollination of ideas and experiences which led to a vibrant exchange of knowledge and a strengthened sense of community.
The ICPCN announces a new free e-learning course ‘Neonatal Palliative Care: An Enhanced Course’
The International Children’s Palliative Care Network (ICPCN) released its newest e-learning course ‘Neonatal Palliative Care: An Enhanced Course’, due to the rising global need for neonatal palliative care.
The free online course has been developed in partnership with Alex Mancini-Smith, National Lead Nurse for Neonatal Palliative Care in the United Kingdon (UK) and the Lead Editor of the textbook Neonatal Palliative Care for Nurses published by Springer 2020 on which this course is based. While the course draws on experience of neonatal palliative care in the UK much of the content is designed to have global application.
The course is designed to enhance the knowledge of, and confidence in, neonatal palliative care for those health professionals and support workers who are involved in the delivery of care to critically ill babies and their families.
Please click here for further information about this new course.
Registrations invited for ‘Seeing the Unseen: A workshop on managing psychosocial and spiritual issues in chronic illnesses’
Registrations are invited for ‘Seeing the Unseen’, an in-person workshop on understanding the Psychosocial and Spiritual issues in chronic illnesses. The two-day workshop is scheduled to be held between Thursday, 11th January, 2024, and Saturday, 13th January, 2024, at the Inspiria Knowledge Campus, Himachal Vihar, Siliguri. The workshop is an initiative of BHT-Karunashraya Institute for Palliative Care Education and Research and is endorsed by the IAPC.
Doctors, Nurses, Counsellors and allied health professionals are eligible to apply for the two-day workshop which aims to provide participants with the knowledge and skills needed to support and help individuals dealing with chronic illnesses.
For further details and to register for this workshop, please contact Dr Pankaj Chowdhary at pjchow2000@gmail.com or at +91 9434083119.
Applications invited for ‘Certificate Course in Palliative Care’ offered jointly by PHFI and TIPS
Applications are invited for the Public Health Foundation of India’s (PHFI) and Trivandrum Institute of Palliative Sciences (TIPS), Pallium India’s joint program, the ‘Certificate Course in Palliative Care’.
MBBS graduates with a minimum of 3 years of work experience are eligible to apply for the virtual program which is scheduled to begin on Saturday, 24th February, 2024. The program offers an evidence based curriculum with case studies, and discussions with experts integrated to allow for interaction.
The modular course will be presented over 6 sessions between 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. on Saturdays. The last date to apply for the course is Monday, 15th January, 2024.
Please click here for further information and to register for the program.
DHS Jammu and NHM J&K organises a two-day sensitisation program in the basics of palliative care and geriatric care at Poonch, Jammu
A two-day sensitisation session in the basics of palliative care and geriatric care was organised for clinicians from Jammu on Tuesday, 5th December, 2023, and Wednesday, 6th December, 2023, at Dak Banglow Poonch, Jammu. The session was organised by the Director of Health Services (DHS), Jammu, in collaboration with the National Health Mission (NHM), Jammu and Kashmir (J&K).
40 doctors, 45 nurses, and 5 Block Medical Officers from across Jammu participated in the interactive sessions organised at Poonch which is on the border of Pakistan and 280 kms from Jammu. The sensitisation session was the first of such sessions to be organised in the remotest and far-flung district of Jammu division of J&K and was organised under the supervision of Chief Medical Officer Poonch and the Medical Superintendent of the District Hospital, Poonch.
An introduction to and the need for palliative care services, a session and a role play on team building and clinical rounds in the palliative care ward at Raja Sukhdev Singh (RSS) District Hospital, Poonch, was presented on the first day of the session.
Various Nursing aspects and a very interesting role play on communication which touched upon concepts of empathy, sympathy, hope and spirituality were included in the session for the second day.
The RSS District Hospital Poonch is also currently in the process of obtaining the Narcotics licence.
The sessions for palliative care were presented by Dr Rohit Lahori (Nodal officer, NPPC, J & K) and sessions for geriatric care was presented by Dr Vijay Sharma (Nodal Officer, NCCD).
Sparsh Hospice sensitises over 500 students in the basics of palliative care on 15th December, 2023
Over 500 students from the Zilla Parishad High School (ZPHS), Kondapur, Hyderabad, were sensitised in the basics of palliative care, through an initiative by Sparsh Hospice, Hyderabad, on Friday, 15th December, 2023.
The one-day in-person sensitisation program named, ‘Palliative Care and Compassionate Community’ was led by a team of trained volunteers (Mr Nagesh Reddy Alla, Ms Paripoorna Naidu, Ms Samatha Kandepu, and Mr Sathish Chandra Chary V) from Sparsh Hospice.
The staff and students from the ZPHS Kondapur school were sensitised to the concept of palliative care, it’s need and benefits, and the scope of palliative care. This was followed by a lively discussion segment in which students had the opportunity to pose questions and get their queries addressed.
Over 90 individuals attend KIPCER’s webinar on ‘Narrative Medicine in the Palliative and Hospice Setting’
Karunashraya Institute for Palliative Care Education and Research (KIPCER) hosted an interesting webinar on ‘Narrative Medicine in the Palliative and Hospice Setting’ on Tuesday, 19th December, 2023.
The one-hour webinar was presented by Ms Danila Zuffeti, Creator and founder of an innovative model of Narrative Medicine in palliative care. Formatrice e Facilitatrice Società Italiana di Medicina Narrativa.
Over 90 participants from across India tuned into the webinar which was based on the principles of narrative medicine by Dr Rita Charon. Ms Zuffeti began the session by sharing that Narrative medicine was medicine practised with skills that allowed professionals to interpret illness stories and react appropriately to them.
Ms Zuffeti then went on to describe that narrative medicine helped create a bridge between patients, their loved ones, and the palliative care professionals. She went on to add that Narrative medicine not only helps the patients feel listened to and understood but also provides valuable insights to palliative care physicians about their patients wellbeing.
Ms Daniella concluded the session by highlighting instances from her practice where principles of narrative medicine were employed.
Amrit Dhara Palliative Care Trust, Bhubaneswar, sensitises over 150 professionals in palliative care between 19th and 21st December, 2023
Amrit Dhara Palliative Care Trust (ADPCT), Bhubaneswar, Odisha, conducted three separate sensitisation sessions for doctors, nurses, psychiatrists, pharmacists etc. between Tuesday, 19th December, 2023, and Thursday, 21st December, 2023.
The Amrit Dhara Palliative Care team was represented by Dr Mami Parija (Founder, ADPCT), Dr Sumita Mohanty (Professor and HoD, Department of Anesthesiology, Pain and Palliative Care, Acharya Harihar Post Graduate Institute of Cancer) and Dr Ganpathy K V (PhD; Clinical Psychologist, Volunteer counsellor, Tata Memorial Hospital, Mumbai).
The session on Tuesday, 19th December, 2023, was held at Centurion University and focused on ‘Palliative Care and preserving quality of life’. The interactive session was attended by approx. 100 Pharmacists and Nurses from the University. Post the success of this session, the Dean of the university is in discussion to invite Dr Mami Parija and Dr Sumita Mohanty to join the University’s Board of Studies to provide inputs on palliative care for their nurses and pharmacists.
On Wednesday, 20th December, 2023, under the aegis of the Carcinova Hospital (Nuapatna), the team from ADPCT conducted an interactive case-based discussion on palliative care for nursing staff at the Carcinova Hospital (Nuapatna). This was followed by a special session on self-care and psychological intervention for the caregivers, which was moderated by Dr Khitish Mishra (Radiation Oncologist, Carcinova Hospital). Post the sessions, it was decided that ADPCT will partner with the hospital for providing palliative care.
The ADPCT concluded this stretch of sensitization, with a session on Thursday, 21st December, 2023, at the Kalinga Institute of Medical Sciences (KIMS). Approx. 40 professionals represented by Doctors, Psychiatrists and Nurses were exposed to the importance of early referrals to palliative care and the role of psychosocial care of patients and caregivers in preserving Quality of life of patients. This session was moderated by Dr Rajendra Sahoo (Specialist, Pain and Palliative Care, KIMS).
The IAPC and Noon Hospital and Research Center, Bhawani Mandi, jointly train clinicians and students in the basics of palliative care between 26th and 28th December, 2023
The IAPC and the Noon Hospital and Research Center, Bhawani Mandi, Rajasthan, collaborated to train 35 individuals (Doctors, Nurses, Students of BSc Vocational training) in the basics of palliative care between Tuesday, 26th December, 2023, and Thursday, 28th December, 2023, at the Noon Hospital and Research Center.
The in-person training was conducted by IAPC and was based on the curriculum of the IAPC’s Certificate Course in Essentials of Palliative Care. The training was conducted by Dr Sushma Bhatnagar (President, IAPC), Dr Savita Butola (Secretary, IAPC), Dr Anjum Khan Joad (Director, Anaesthesiology and Pain and Palliative Care, Bhagwan Mahaveer Cancer Hospital and Research Centre, Jaipur), Sr Hanife MacGamwell (Nursing Education Coordinator, IAPC), Ms Mamta Parihar (Lecturer, Government College of Nursing, Jodhpur) and Mr Ram Solanki (Lecturer, Mayurakshi College of Nursing, Jodhpur).
Over the 2.5 days, participants were introduced to the concept of palliative care, pain management, management of gastrointestinal issues, Communication skills, Ethics in palliative care, nursing issues, emergencies in palliative care etc.
Several doctors and nurses will now proceed to complete a ten-day clinical attachment at a centre of excellence.
KCC, Kolhapur, celebrates ‘World Family Caregiver Month’ in November, 2023
The Kolhapur Cancer Center (KCC), Kolhapur, Maharashtra, celebrated the ‘World Family Caregiver Month’ with enthusiasm during November 2023, to honour families of those cancer patients receiving care at KCC.
A series of events were conducted during the month in commemoration of this observance.
One such initiative was the ‘Family Caregiver’ event organised on Wednesday, 29th November, 2023, to recognize and appreciate the continuous and selfless service of family members who play a crucial role in supporting their loved one from the time of diagnosis to treatment. Such caregivers were honoured with respect and admiration for their selfless support towards their loved ones during such difficult times.
During the event, caregivers expressed the myriad emotions and highlighted the challenges they faced while caregiving. They also expressed their gratitude for being able to care for their loved one, as their loved one fought cancer and dealt with the complexities of treatment.
Dr Suraj Pawar (Chairman and Managing Director, KCC) shared “Amid the struggle against cancer, the encouragement and support provided by caregivers significantly contributes towards the overall well-being of these cancer patients. Caregivers offer both physical assistance and help boost the mental strength and resilience of their loved ones.”
The event was also attended by Dr Parag Watve (Medical Director, KCC), Dr Reshma Pawar (Executive Director, KCC), and Mr Rajan Bhosale Patil (Patient Relations Officer, KCC), among others. The event was coordinated and organised by Dr Chaitanya Patil (Consultant, Pain and Palliative Care Department, KCC).
AIIMS Jodhpur organises a workshop on palliative care at DHMC, Pali, in October, 2023
The Department of Anesthesia and Critical Care, AIIMS Jodhpur, had organised a two-day workshop on Palliative Care at the District Hospital and Medical College (DHMC), Pali, Rajasthan, on Monday, 30th October, 2023, and Tuesday, 31st October, 2023.
The program began with a lighting of the lamp by Dr Deepak Verma (Principal, DHMC, Pali), Dr PC Vyas (Superintendent, DHMC, Pali) and Dr Dilip Chauhan (Additional Superintendent, DHMC, Pali).
The sessions over the two-days were presented by Faculty from AIIMS Jodhpur, RNT Medical College, Jodhpur, and SN Medical College, Jodhpur. Topics presented during the workshop included sessions on introduction to Palliative Care, Pain management, Nursing principles in palliative care, Management of gastrointestinal symptoms, palliative care in the ICU, Ethics in palliative care, Role of physiotherapy in palliative care, Home based palliative care etc.
The interactive session was attended by 120 doctors and nurses from various departments of DHMC, Pali.
Update from APM’s lecture series
Report on activities in December
The Academy of Palliative Medicine’s online Lecture Series 1, presented 3 lectures in December, 2023. The current series will deliver a total of 37 lectures which will be delivered by Students of MD and DNB in Palliative Medicine from across the country and moderated by a Faculty from their respective center.
The first session for the month was an interesting presentation on ‘Integration of music therapy in Palliative Care’ which was presented by Dr Arkanil Gain and moderated by Dr Anuja Pandit. The next session was an excellent session on ‘Palliative Rehabilitation’, presented by Dr Archana Vajjala and moderated by Dr Gayatri Palat. The final session for the month and the year was a comprehensive presentation on ‘Models of palliative care delivery’ presented by Dr Pallavi Ghosh and moderated by Dr K Praveen Kumar.
There was no lecture presented on 25th December (Christmas), 2023.
We thank our speakers and the moderators for sharing their time and expertise to enrich the knowledge of the palliative care’s community.
Sessions planned for January 2024
We invite you to join us for the lectures scheduled for January. Details below:
