Indian Journal of Palliative Care最新文献

{"title":"Evaluating Chatbots as Nursing Assistants in Palliative Care: A Narrative Review.","authors":"Melika Jafari Dehnayebi, Masoud Etedali, Mehdi Safarabadi, Hamed Parnikh, Hooman Mohammad Talebi","doi":"10.25259/IJPC_144_2025","DOIUrl":"10.25259/IJPC_144_2025","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Artificial intelligence (AI) powered chatbots are emerging tools to support healthcare providers, especially in palliative care, by delivering information, emotional support and practical assistance to patients and caregivers. This study aimed to perform a Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats (SWOT) analysis of chatbots acting as nursing assistants in palliative care, to elucidate their potential benefits, challenges and future directions. We conducted a narrative review of articles published between January 2020 and March 2025. Two reviewers independently searched relevant databases and screened studies according to predefined inclusion criteria. Extracted data were synthesised using the SWOT framework, and findings were reported in a narrative format. AI-powered chatbots in palliative care offer strengths such as enhanced patient support, symptom monitoring and mental health check-ins, but suffer from weaknesses such as inaccurate information and poor integration with health records. Opportunities include educational potential and personalised care, while threats include privacy concerns, regulatory gaps and resistance from healthcare professionals. Over-reliance on technology could also undermine empathetic, human-centred care. This review shows that AI-powered chatbots in palliative care can improve communication and personalised monitoring. However, challenges such as accuracy, data security and funding need to be addressed. Future studies should focus on long-term outcomes and cost-benefit analyses.</p>","PeriodicalId":13319,"journal":{"name":"Indian Journal of Palliative Care","volume":"32 2","pages":"129-136"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13224297/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148149833","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Development and Feasibility of CALORIE CARE^© Programme in Head-and-Neck Cancer Survivors.","authors":"K Vijaya Kumar, Arun Varghese, Hritika D Pai, Stephen Rajan Samuel, M S Athiyaaman","doi":"10.25259/IJPC_245_2025","DOIUrl":"10.25259/IJPC_245_2025","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objectives: </strong>Head-and-neck cancer (HNC) survivors undergoing concurrent chemoradiotherapy frequently experience treatment-related impairments such as trismus, cervical and shoulder dysfunction, and masticatory muscle weakness. This study aimed to develop and evaluate the feasibility of the CALORIE CARE programme, a tailored exercise intervention for HNC survivors undergoing concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT). The secondary objective was to assess changes in mouth opening measured by maximal interincisal opening (MIO).</p><p><strong>Materials and methods: </strong>A feasibility study was conducted at a tertiary care hospital in Karnataka, India, from January 2024 to January 2025. Eligible participants were HNC survivors with TNM (Tumor, Node, and Metastasis) stages III-IVb and MIO <35 mm undergoing concurrent chemoradiotherapy. The CALORIE CARE programme was developed using the Template for Intervention Description and Replication (TIDeR) checklist. The 8-week intervention included mobility, stretching, strengthening, swallowing exercises, and aerobic activity. Feasibility outcomes included recruitment rate, adherence rate, and withdrawal rate. Exercise adherence was assessed using the Exercise Adherence Rating Scale-Kannada (EARS-Kn). MIO was measured at baseline, week 4, and week 8.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Among 53 eligible patients, 37 consented to participate (recruitment rate 69.81%), and 35 completed the programme (withdrawal rate 5.4%). The adherence rate was 73.94%. The mean EARS score was 17.8, indicating good adherence. A statistically significant change in MIO was observed between baseline and week 4 (<i>p</i> < 0.001), whereas no significant difference was observed between week 4 and week 8 (<i>p</i> = 0.075).</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>The CALORIE CARE programme appears feasible, well tolerated, and demonstrates good adherence among HNC survivors undergoing chemoradiotherapy. Early implementation of multidomain rehabilitation may help delay functional deterioration during treatment; however, its efficacy for improving clinically meaningful outcomes requires confirmation in controlled trials.</p>","PeriodicalId":13319,"journal":{"name":"Indian Journal of Palliative Care","volume":"32 2","pages":"190-197"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13224306/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148149862","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Characteristics of Pain and Factors Associated with Fatigue among First-Diagnosed Solid Malignancy Patients: A Cross-Sectional Study.","authors":"Rajesh Kumar, Aarti Rana, Alka Pasi, Parveen Parveen, Priyanka Malhotra","doi":"10.25259/IJPC_409_2025","DOIUrl":"10.25259/IJPC_409_2025","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objectives: </strong>Cancer-related pain and fatigue are prevalent and debilitating symptoms experienced by most cancer patients. Chronic fatigue in cancer patients leads to sleep disturbances and reduces performance status, especially during treatment. This study aims to explore characteristics of pain and factors associated with fatigue among patients with solid malignancies diagnosed for the 1^st time.</p><p><strong>Materials and methods: </strong>This cross-sectional, prospective survey purposively included 141 patients with solid malignancies presenting for the 1^st time at a tertiary care hospital. Information was collected using a structured pre-tested socio-demographic and clinical profile, the McGill pain questionnaire and the multi-dimensional fatigue inventory-20. Relevant descriptive and inferential statistics were used to generate the results.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>In this study, 141 patients (male 66, female 75, mean age 49.87 [standard deviation = 10.45]) were included. The most frequent pain descriptor terms were 'pricking' (<i>n</i> = 49, 34.8%), 'sharp' (<i>n</i> = 39, 27.7%), 'shooting' (<i>n</i> = 33, 23.4%), 'stabbing' (<i>n</i> = 29, 20.6%), 'pulling' (<i>n</i> = 27, 19.1%) and 'suffocating' (<i>n</i> = 25, 17.7%). Severe clinical insomnia was presented in 14.9% of patients. Findings reported that advanced age, informal education, distant metastasis, no pain medications, sleep disturbances and poor performance status were associated with higher fatigue in patients.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Patients with cancer reported a multifaceted nature of pain. Cancer stage, tumour extension, performance status and sleep disturbances are among the factors associated with higher fatigue among patients. The use of evidence-based pain and fatigue management protocols, along with targeting sleep quality and performance status, may help improve the care and well-being of cancer patients.</p>","PeriodicalId":13319,"journal":{"name":"Indian Journal of Palliative Care","volume":"32 2","pages":"212-221"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13224310/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148149812","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Beyond Algorithms: Preserving the Human Core of Palliative Care in the Age of Artificial Intelligence.","authors":"Raghavendra Ramanjulu, Raghu S Thota","doi":"10.25259/IJPC_151_2026","DOIUrl":"10.25259/IJPC_151_2026","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":13319,"journal":{"name":"Indian Journal of Palliative Care","volume":"32 2","pages":"117-118"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13224303/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148149715","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Quality of Life Assessment after Breast Cancer Treatment using EORTC QLQ-C30 and BR-23 Questionnaire: A Prospective Study.","authors":"Maninderdeep Kaur, Divya Dahiya, Barsha Pantha, Budhi Singh Yadav, Pramod Kumar","doi":"10.25259/IJPC_277_2025","DOIUrl":"10.25259/IJPC_277_2025","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objectives: </strong>The most prevalent malignancy among women worldwide is breast cancer (BC). While evaluating the effectiveness of treatment, the quality of life (QoL) of BC patients is crucial. The purpose of this study was to assess patients' QoL after receiving therapy for BC.</p><p><strong>Materials and methods: </strong>This was a prospective study examining the QoL in BC patients following treatment completion, which included surgery, chemotherapy and radiation therapy. The study measured the QoL of 100 patients using the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer QoL Questionnaire (EORTC QLQ-C30) and its BC supplementary measure (EORTC QLQ-BR23) at three different points in time: 3 months, 1 year and 2 years after completing treatment. The patients were selected for the study using a purposive sampling technique. The socio-demographic and clinical data collected included age, education, marital status, disease stage and initial treatment. Descriptive analysis was made using frequency and percentages. For inferential statistics, a non-parametric test (Friedman test) was used for non-continuous data.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The average age of the patients was 46.9 ± 10.1 years, and the majority (82%) underwent mastectomy, chemotherapy and radiotherapy. The results indicated significant differences in patient functioning and overall QoL at three different points in time (<i>p</i> < 0.001). While there were declines in patients' scores for body image and sexual enjoyment, there were notable improvements in breast symptoms and systemic therapy side effects (<i>p</i> < 0.05). Across the functioning scale, physical, cognitive, emotional, social and role functioning all showed improvement. However, on the symptom scale, fatigue was the most common issue experienced by patients, even 2 years after treatment, followed by financial difficulties and arm symptoms.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>There was a significant improvement in the QoL after receiving BC treatment. However, fatigue and arm symptoms need supportive treatment on follow-up.</p>","PeriodicalId":13319,"journal":{"name":"Indian Journal of Palliative Care","volume":"32 2","pages":"167-174"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13224243/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148149465","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Palliative Care Social Work Standards of Practice - Review of Select International Protocols.","authors":"Gunavathy J S, Joby M P","doi":"10.25259/IJPC_52_2025","DOIUrl":"10.25259/IJPC_52_2025","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The exigent and interpretive nature of palliative care social work (PCSW) emphasises the need for a palliative care social workers (PCSWers) practice protocol, also known as standards of practice for palliative care social workers (PCSWers). However, till date, there are no agreed-upon standards of practice for PCSWs in India. In this backdrop, the purposes of this paper are (a) to review the widely available PCSW standards of practice, (b) to juxtapose the commonalities and the distinct features of the same and (c) to put forth suggestions that could be imbibed in the Indian context. This paper is based on a thematic review of select prominent social work standards of practice in PC in the American, Australian, and British contexts. Among other findings, the common standards of practice spelt out by the three protocols are ethics and values, knowledge, professionalism and setting specific skills. While the American and Australian templates mention about being culturally aware and responsive, the British template mentions context and organisations. Each of the documents mentions a range of skills required for effective practice, such as assessment, intervention planning, communication and interpersonal skills and documentation skills. Based on the findings, suggestions for a standard of practice of PCSW in the Indian context are put forth. To sum up, the paper provides a thematic analysis of three international standards of practice for PCSW. The findings provide insights for the development of a similar standard in India.</p>","PeriodicalId":13319,"journal":{"name":"Indian Journal of Palliative Care","volume":"32 2","pages":"137-144"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13224290/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148149500","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Not a Cure but a Comfort: The Role of Spiritual Coping in Responding to Anxiety among Women Living with Human Immunodeficiency Virus.","authors":"Rosanti Muchsin, Esti Yunitasari, Abu Bakar, Siti Nur Asiyah, Yulis Hati","doi":"10.25259/IJPC_296_2025","DOIUrl":"10.25259/IJPC_296_2025","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objectives: </strong>The objective of the study is to analyse the relationship between demographic characteristics, spiritual coping, and anxiety levels in women living with human immunodeficiency virus (WLHIV), based on the spiritual coping theory of Bell, Theiler, and Rajendran.</p><p><strong>Materials and methods: </strong>This study employs an analytical cross-sectional approach, involving 120 WLHIV aged 20-49 years at the Government Hospital in Indonesia. The instruments used are the Spiritual Religious Coping Scale and the Zung Self-Rating Anxiety Scale, which have been modified. Data analysis employed the Spearman Rank test with ordinal logistic regression.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Most respondents had high spiritual coping (55.0%) and no anxiety (58.3%). There was a significant negative association between age and anxiety (ρ = -0.346; <i>p</i> < 0.001) as well as between length of diagnosis and anxiety (ρ = -0.356; <i>p</i> < 0.001). A meaningful positive relationship was found between spiritual coping and anxiety (ρ = 0.364; <i>p</i> < 0.001). Ordinal regression showed that WLHIV ages 20-25 years (B = 1.553; <i>p</i> = 0.041) and spiritual coping of the moderate category predicted higher anxiety (B = 1.520; <i>p</i> = 0.013).</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Spiritual coping is an important strategy in responding to anxiety, especially in the early stages of diagnosis. These results support the role of spiritual appraisal as an intermediary in the process of meaning that influences coping responses. Culturally appropriate, spiritually based interventions that can support WLHIV's emotional stability need to be developed.</p>","PeriodicalId":13319,"journal":{"name":"Indian Journal of Palliative Care","volume":"32 2","pages":"145-151"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13224286/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148149549","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"When Symptoms become Vital Signs…. Fetch your End-of-Life Care Crash Cart.","authors":"Megha Pruthi, Gaurav Chanana","doi":"10.25259/IJPC_231_2025","DOIUrl":"10.25259/IJPC_231_2025","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":13319,"journal":{"name":"Indian Journal of Palliative Care","volume":"32 1","pages":"111-113"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13054319/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147638757","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Palliative Care Training in Social Work Education: An Exploration of Stakeholder Perspectives and Curriculum Review.","authors":"Cherkkara Aswathi, M Arun, Mariya John, Gargi S Kumar, Elizabeth Saju Tharappel Thomas, Priya Treesa Thomas","doi":"10.25259/IJPC_159_2025","DOIUrl":"10.25259/IJPC_159_2025","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objectives: </strong>Social work practice in palliative, rehabilitation and long-term care settings has long been recognised as an important component of healthcare service delivery. However, limited studies have explored the preparedness for palliative care social work in post-graduate social work education in India.</p><p><strong>Materials and methods: </strong>Seven semi-structured in-depth interviews were conducted with professional social workers working in various palliative care settings in India to assess their educational preparedness for palliative care. The interviews were recorded and transcribed. The collected data were thematically analysed. Subsequently, a review of the postgraduate social work curriculum in universities recognised by the University Grants Commission was conducted using template analysis.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>A lack of educational preparedness of social work practitioners in end-of-life (EOL) care is identified through the in-depth interviews. The major themes from the interviews included content on palliative and EOL in social work curricula, fieldwork exposure to EOL, continuous education programmes, job education training and development of basic therapeutic skills. The review of curriculum using template analysis revealed that out of the 521 (Central and State) universities registered on the website, 25 had palliative care components incorporated into their curriculum. In these curricula, most included the content as part of the medical and psychiatric social work specialisation training. The curriculum made limited reference to the supervised practicum in this field.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>With the increasing recognition of the need for palliative and long-term care and the integral role of psychosocial care in these settings, there is a need to acknowledge the current lack of preparedness expressed by the practitioners in the field and to work towards a well-articulated training curriculum with an equal focus on content and skill building in social work education.</p>","PeriodicalId":13319,"journal":{"name":"Indian Journal of Palliative Care","volume":"32 1","pages":"51-59"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13054361/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147638487","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Role of Electro-Therapeutic Modalities in Breast Cancer-Related Lymphedema and Shoulder Dysfunction: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.","authors":"Renu Pattanshetty, Asmita Shrestha, Nikita Pawar","doi":"10.25259/IJPC_324_2024","DOIUrl":"10.25259/IJPC_324_2024","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Breast cancer-related lymphedema (BCRL) is one of the most significant complications among survivors, leading to physical as well as psycho-social issues such as pain, joint restriction, heaviness, body image issues, and overall affecting quality of life (QOL). Various electro-therapeutic modalities are being used for its treatment, which is proven to be safe and effective. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to explore the evidence of the effectiveness of electro-therapeutic modalities in BCRL and shoulder dysfunction. This systematic review was conducted using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses guidelines. Electronic search was conducted in PubMed, Scopus, physiotherapy evidence database (PEDro) and Cochrane databases for eligible studies. Quality assessment was conducted by the PEDro scale for Randomised Controlled Trials and Modified McMaster Critical Review Form for other studies. The primary outcomes were arm volume, circumference and shoulder range of motion (ROM). Secondary outcome measures were QOL by QOL scale and functional assessment of cancer therapy-breast (FACT-B), and shoulder pain and disability by disability of arm, shoulder and hand (DASH), Quick DASH (Q-DASH) and shoulder pain and disability index. A descriptive synthesis of the studies was done, followed by a meta-analysis carried by Stata version 16 software. Twenty-eight studies were included in the review, and six in the meta-analysis. In summary, we found that electro-therapeutic modalities significantly improve arm volume, arm circumference at wrist level and shoulder ROM of flexion, abduction and external rotation. However, there was no significant improvement in arm circumference below the elbow, the elbow or below the axilla. This systematic review and meta-analysis identified significant improvement in terms of arm volume, circumference, shoulder ROM, shoulder pain and disability and overall QOL in BCRL and shoulder dysfunction. This review recommends the utilisation of these modalities in a clinical setting.</p>","PeriodicalId":13319,"journal":{"name":"Indian Journal of Palliative Care","volume":"32 1","pages":"1-21"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13054370/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147638490","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}