Felt Needs of Cancer Palliative Care Professionals Working in India: A Qualitative Study

Abstract

Objectives: Cancer palliative care professionals face a plethora of challenges related to death, dying and suffering apart from limited workforce and other resources in India. However, the grief held by them is underappreciated and psychological needs are under explored. The aim of the present study was to explore felt needs of cancer palliative care professionals working in India. Materials and Methods: The study was cross-sectional, qualitative and in-depth in nature. It was conducted across four cancer palliative care centers in Bengaluru city of India. sample consisted of 15 professionals (mean age = 42 years and standard deviation = 8.41) with at least six months of experience, involved in direct patient care who gave an additional consent for audio-recording. The tools used were sociodemographic and professional datasheet and semi-structured interview guide, which were developed for the present study and validated from five experts. Thematic analysis was used to generate and analyze patterns within the qualitative data. Results: Five themes were identified, namely, death and grief; challenges in practice; strategies for self-care; positive professional experiences; and vision for palliative care. Conclusion: The cancer palliative care professionals need regular support in coping with death and grief, regular trainings and supervision across workplace to deal with occupational challenges, and to address their self-care and spiritual needs. The study highlights need to introduce more specialized training courses in handling pediatric patients, increase palliative care workforce, and hospice units. This can have implications in future research and training with development of innovative interventions to address these needs and challenges.

Hospice care in India: A review

“…Self-care strategies and practices among the participants in this study ranged from physical activity, exercises, dance, and daily walks to spending quality time with family and children, while some admitted to crying and withdrawing from work to deal with emotional distress because they could not cry in front of patients and others. [ 12 ] Diagnosing cancers and HIV-like diseases at an early stage will also reduce the requirement of hospice in patients. Other coping mechanisms should be taught to patients suffering from such diseases.…”

“…Spirituality has been recommended as being necessary for palliative care practitioners to understand various religious beliefs and practices in order to address the individual requirements of their patients and families. [ 12 ] Vigilance and quality control should be mandate in every government-based hospice care setting. Building hospices will not be a financial burden on the government because palliative care is not a high-cost specialty when compared to others.…”