Development and evaluation of an online training program for palliative care in India
Abstract 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 conven...
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| Language: | English |
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BMC
2025-02-01
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| Series: | BMC Medical Education |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-025-06804-9 |
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| author | Varun Raj Passi Sreedevi Warrier Rajalekshmi Balu M. M. Sunil Kumar Parth Sharma |
| author_facet | Varun Raj Passi Sreedevi Warrier Rajalekshmi Balu M. M. Sunil Kumar Parth Sharma |
| author_sort | Varun Raj Passi |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract 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. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-672f4456f96e4826b831e26e1e712a71 |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 1472-6920 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-02-01 |
| publisher | BMC |
| record_format | Article |
| series | BMC Medical Education |
| spelling | doaj-art-672f4456f96e4826b831e26e1e712a712025-08-20T02:15:16ZengBMCBMC Medical Education1472-69202025-02-012511810.1186/s12909-025-06804-9Development and evaluation of an online training program for palliative care in IndiaVarun Raj Passi0Sreedevi Warrier1Rajalekshmi Balu2M. M. Sunil Kumar3Parth Sharma4Association for Socially Applicable Research (ASAR)Pallium IndiaPallium IndiaPallium IndiaAssociation for Socially Applicable Research (ASAR)Abstract 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.https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-025-06804-9Palliative carePain managementDistance educationIndiaTerminal care |
| spellingShingle | Varun Raj Passi Sreedevi Warrier Rajalekshmi Balu M. M. Sunil Kumar Parth Sharma Development and evaluation of an online training program for palliative care in India BMC Medical Education Palliative care Pain management Distance education India Terminal care |
| title | Development and evaluation of an online training program for palliative care in India |
| title_full | Development and evaluation of an online training program for palliative care in India |
| title_fullStr | Development and evaluation of an online training program for palliative care in India |
| title_full_unstemmed | Development and evaluation of an online training program for palliative care in India |
| title_short | Development and evaluation of an online training program for palliative care in India |
| title_sort | development and evaluation of an online training program for palliative care in india |
| topic | Palliative care Pain management Distance education India Terminal care |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-025-06804-9 |
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