Published on: October 7, 2024

Department of Paediatric Haematology and Oncology at the Sri Ramachandra Institute of Higher Education and Research (DU), in collaboration with Golden Butterflies, organised R-PPALCON-2024 (Ramachandra-Paediatric Palliative Care Conference) from August 30 to September 1, 2024, at the Seminar Hall of Sri Ramachandra Medical College.

This workshop focused on supporting care professionals from the paediatric palliative care field. John Surya, Pallium India’s Chennai-based Regional Facilitator was invited to be a panelist for a session discussing “How words collide in a Multidisciplinary team” moderated by Ramalakshmi (Head of projects, Golden Butterflies). The panel comprised of a social worker, a psychologist, a doctor, a nurse and a caregiver.

Each professional explained their perspective on pediatric palliative care. John described the importance of communication amongst multidisciplinary teams and of facilitating psychological support for all palliative care patients.

John recounted a real life scenario on how miscommunication occurs within a multidisciplinary healthcare team. He cited the example of a patient on her deathbed whose last wish was to see her son. This wish could be fulfilled only when a social worker intervened and painstakingly located her son and facilitated their meeting. Patient regained consciousness for some time to meet her son and then passed away peacefully. The reunion, although delayed, provided her some comfort and closure. Reflecting on this incident, the social worker emphasised that due to communication gaps and the lack of awareness of palliative care among the hospital staff, the critical emotional and psychological needs of the patient were overlooked. If the need for palliative care had been identified earlier, the patient could have spent more quality time with her son, alleviating her psychological distress during the final days of her life.

Audience Interaction: Facilitating Support for Orphaned Patients

An MSW student from Stella Maris College posed a thoughtful question: “What kind of facilitation can be done for orphan patients?” It was explained that volunteers or social workers can play a vital role in connecting orphaned or destitute patients with Care Homes, Destitute Homes, and Hospice Care Homes, where they can receive not just medical care but also the sense of community and family-like support they need until the end of their lives. This approach can greatly enhance the quality of life for such patients by offering them a semblance of familial care and emotional security.

Key Takeaways of the conference dwelled around:

  1. Need for Better Communication Protocols:
    • Healthcare teams to have structured protocols for identifying and referring patients to palliative care early on.
    • Regular multidisciplinary meetings can help align patient care goals and improve response times.
  2. Raising Awareness of Palliative Care:
    • Continuous education and awareness-building sessions should be conducted to sensitize healthcare professionals to the psychological and emotional needs of patients, especially in end-of-life situations.
  3. Role of Social Workers and Volunteers:
    • Social workers can act as liaisons between medical teams, patients, and families to bridge communication gaps.
    • Volunteers can provide critical support by facilitating emotional and social connections for patients without family.

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