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CC BY 4.0 · Indian J Med Paediatr Oncol 2024; 45(04): 340-345
DOI: 10.1055/s-0042-1742613
Brief Communication

Factors Associated with Choosing the Kerala Model of Palliative Care versus Standard Care among Indian Cancer Patients

Prema N. George 
1   Department of Liberal Arts, Indian Institute of Technology Hyderabad, Hyderabad, Telangana, India
,
M.P. Ganesh
2   Department of Entrepreneurship and Management, Indian Institute of Technology Hyderabad, Hyderabad, Telangana, India
,
Shweta Chawak 
1   Department of Liberal Arts, Indian Institute of Technology Hyderabad, Hyderabad, Telangana, India
,
Mahati Chittem
1   Department of Liberal Arts, Indian Institute of Technology Hyderabad, Hyderabad, Telangana, India
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Abstract

Patients who opt for the Kerala Model of Palliative Care (KMPC) report favorable psychological outcomes. Still, not all patients in Kerala prefer this treatment's approach. Hence, this study is aimed to examine the demographical, medical, pain, and psychological factors associated with cancer patients who choose the KMPC versus standard care (SC). Using a cross-sectional design and purposive sampling, 87 patients (SC = 40; KMPC = 47) residing in Kerala, India, responded to questionnaires on pain, anxiety, and depression, and quality of life (QoL). Data analysis was conducted using chi-squared and independent sample t-tests. Findings revealed that KMPC (vs. SC) patients had lower levels of education, were self-employed or homemakers, belonged to a middle or low socioeconomic status, received government aid or were financially self-supported, and were diagnosed for less than 1 year or less than 5 years. KMPC patients reported higher levels of pain, lower levels of anxiety and depression, better overall total QoL, physical health, social health, functionality capacity, and emotional health. These findings suggest the need for community awareness programs regarding the benefits of opting for the KMPC. Patients who chose KMPC reported higher levels of pain than SC patients, highlighting the need for the KMPC to improve its approach to pain management.

Keywords

palliative care - pain management - quality of life - India

^Footnote

✓ SC consists of treatment protocols for a specific illness that are accepted and followed by the treating physician. In the case of this study, SC refers to the standard medical care protocols for the treatment of cancer that are followed by the oncologist.


Reference: Standard of care. National Cancer Institute of health. Accessed September 15, 2021. https://www.cancer.gov/publications/dictionaries/cancer-terms/def/standard-of-care


✓ The hospitals where patients were recruited include:


• Ernakulam General Hospital (total = 46; SC = 17; KMPC = 29)


• Anwar Memorial Hospital (total = 12; SC = 5; KMPC = 7)


• Lakshmi Hospital (SC = 8)


• Government Hospital Aluva (total = 21; SC = 10; KMPC = 11)


Source(s) of Support

The lead author received a Ministry of Human Resources Development (MHRD) fellowship throughout the duration of this study.


Authors' Statement

This manuscript has been read and approved by all the authors, the requirements for authorship have been met, and each of the authors believe that the manuscript represents our honest work.


Authors' Contribution Details (ticked as applicable)

P.N.G. was involved in conceptualization, designing, definition of intellectual content, literature search, data acquisition, data analysis, statistical analysis, manuscript preparation, manuscript editing and review. M.P.G. was involved in conceptualization, designing, definition of intellectual content, literature search, data analysis, statistical analysis, manuscript editing and review. S.C. was involved in definition of intellectual content, manuscript preparation, manuscript editing and review. M.C. was involved in definition of intellectual content, literature search, manuscript preparation, manuscript editing and review. S.C. is guarantor for this manuscript.




Publication History

Article published online:
14 March 2022

© 2022. The Author(s). This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, permitting unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction so long as the original work is properly cited. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

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