Guwahati, December 29: Palliativecare is all about caring of the person as a whole. All four aspects of care namely – physical, psychological, social and spiritual are combined together to give a holistic approach of care to the patient and family members.
Communication by the care givers to the patients and their family members is an important part in Palliativecare service. Most of the time doctors and care givers do not communicate well with their patients that may lead to anxiety and apprehension among the family members of the patients and equally to the patient also. Apart from that patient autonomy is also important for treatment.
Paternalistic behavior by the doctors and care givers should always be avoided to maintain the patient wishes. Dr Sukdev Nayak, HoD, Department of Anaesthesiology, AIIMS, Bhubaneswarwas the guest speaker in the seminar.
He delivered a lecture on “Communication skills in Palliative Care”. He emphasized the importance of letting the patient and relatives know about the diagnosis and disease status as this will help to facilitate further treatment and planning of the future for the patient and relatives. Dr.B. Bhagawati, Anaesthesiologist and Pain Specialist, also talked about the various aspects of pain management.
The seminar was attended by approximately 130 participants from all walk of like including doctors, nurses, social workers and volunteers. Initially the seminar was inaugurated by Dr. A. C. Kataki, Director,Dr. B. Borooah Cancer Institute.
In his inaugural speech he emphasized the need of palliative care services among cancer patients. Dr Kabindra Bhagabati, Medical Officer, Department of Palliative Medicine, BBCI who is actively working to popularize palliative care in the North Eastern Region welcomed the gathering. Dr. D. Dakua who is also a Palliative Care Specialist of the Institute offered the vote of thanks to all the delegates.
