HBC Con
Date: January 4–5, 2025
Venue: Cardinal Gracis Hall, St. John’s Medical College, Bangalore

The Home-Based Care (HBC) Conference Wrap-Up Workshop was convened on January 4–5, 2025, at Cardinal Gracis Hall, St. John’s Medical College, Bangalore. The event brought together representatives from leading institutions engaged in home-based palliative care across India. Key attendees included Dr. Nandini Vallath and her team from St. John’s Medical College (SJMCH), Dr. Lekshmi and her team from Swamy Vivekananda Youth Movement (SVYM), Dr. Vibha (SVYM), Dr. Babitha and her team from Karunashraya, and Mr Prince from the Shihab Thangal Centre for Humanity (STCH). Mrs Reshma Sreekumar and I represented Pallium India.
This workshop marked the continuation of a year-long effort to establish comprehensive guidelines for ideal home-based palliative care. Building upon the insights from earlier sessions, the workshop aimed to consolidate ideas, formulate actionable recommendations, and strengthen collaborative frameworks. The HBC Consortium, comprising centers of excellence in home care across the country, provided an ideal platform for this purpose.
On the first day, participants were divided into four focus groups to address key components of home-based care:
Patient Experience, Outcomes, Monitoring, and Documentation: This group focused on improving patient care through enhanced tracking of outcomes and systematic documentation of services.
Nursing Procedures at Home: The group explored standardized protocols for nursing care delivery in home settings, ensuring safety and quality.- Mrs Reshma was part of this group
Managing Dying and Death at Home: This group discussed strategies to support families and patients during end-of-life care, with a focus on dignity and cultural sensitivity.
Organization, Logistics, and Preparedness for Homecare: The group addressed operational challenges, resource allocation, and preparedness for delivering seamless homecare services.- I was part of this group.
Each group engaged in brainstorming sessions to identify challenges, share experiences, and propose actionable solutions.
On the second day, the core team consolidated the insights from the group discussions. Each group presented their proposals, which were reviewed and refined by senior members of the consortium. Constructive feedback and suggestions were provided, resulting in well-rounded draft recommendations. Timelines were established for the submission of final drafts for each focus area.
The workshop concluded with key outcomes, including the drafting of comprehensive guidelines for home-based palliative care, the strengthening of collaborative networks, and the identification of critical areas requiring further attention and resources. The recommendations from this session will provide a foundation for future initiatives to improve homecare services across the country.
In conclusion, the HBC Conference Wrap-Up Workshop highlighted the collective commitment of consortium members to enhancing the quality and accessibility of home-based palliative care. The finalized recommendations will serve as a pivotal step toward standardizing care practices and addressing the unique challenges of delivering palliative care in home settings.
Submitted by: Dr. Arjun Devarajan, Section Head- Clinical Services