Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 26, 2025
E-Patient Counseling Trial E-PACO: Computer Based Education versus Nurse Counseling for Patients to Prepare for Colonoscopy
Published on: August 1, 2019
Development and evaluation of an online training program for palliative care in India
Varun Raj Passi1, Sreedevi Warrier2,3, Rajalekshmi Balu2
1Association for Socially Applicable Research (ASAR), Pune, Maharashtra, India.
Background:
Palliative care training at the undergraduate level is poor in India. With the need for palliative care rising in India and globally, it is possible to train physicians in resource-limited settings in palliative care via online training programs owing to ease of access and convenience. However, there is limited evidence available from India on the development and implementation of such a training program. This study aims to describe the development of an online training program offered by the Trivandrum Institute of Palliative Sciences (TIPS), Kerala, and the impact of the program on the confidence of physicians in managing various palliative care needs of their patients.
Methods:
The course was developed by an interdisciplinary expert team from TIPS. The course content was made keeping in mind the local sociocultural factors in India and was peer-reviewed by two external experts. The program was started in 2018 and updated and revised over the years. Currently, the program has 20 sessions, each lasting for 90 min. The course content was disseminated using project-ECHO's (Extension of Community Health Outcomes) telementoring model. To assess the impact of the training program, self-reported change in confidence from twenty-two batches of physicians, trained from January 2020 to August 2023. Feedback from participants was also assessed to identify areas of improvement in the training program.
Results:
A total of 1159 physicians were trained during the study period. At the end of the course, 51.2% of the participants completed the evaluation survey and had a statistically significant (p < 0.05) improvement in confidence in pain, gastrointestinal symptoms and breathlessness management, morphine prescription, and psychosocial communication. The duration of each session and the entire course was reported to be ideal by 88.6% and 87.9% of participants, respectively.
Conclusion:
Our results show that online training can be effectively used to build confidence in physicians in managing various palliative care needs.
Trial Registration:
Not applicable.
Related Concept Videos
01:26Methods Of Healthcare Delivery System
Managed Care System:
The managed care system is designed to control the cost while maintaining the quality of care. The patient's care from admission to discharge is planned by the primary care provider or the case manager, also known as the gatekeeper. In a managed care system, the number of care providers is...
01:25Continuing Care
01:20Nursing Process for Patient and Caregiver Teaching III: Evaluation and Documentation
Nurses can use several methods to evaluate patient outcomes. For example, oral questions can assess cognitive learning,...
01:24Nursing Process for Patient and Caregiver Teaching I: Assessment and Diagnosis
It is critical to determine the patient's learning needs during the assessment. Determination of learning needs compounds data...
01:15Nursing Evaluation
01:15Nursing Implementation
The five steps to implementing effective nursing care include reassessing the patient, reviewing and revising the existing nursing care plan, organizing the resources and care delivery, anticipating and preventing complications, and implementing nursing interventions.