"Small small interventions, big big roles"- a qualitative study of patient, care-giver and health-care worker experiences of a palliative care programme in Kerala, India.

Background: Home-based palliative care is an essential resource for many communities. We conducted a qualitative study to explore perceptions of a home-based palliative care programme in Kerala, India, from the perspective of patients, their care-givers and the doctors, nurses and volunteers running the intervention.

Methods: A descriptive qualitative study was carried out.

Twenty years of home-based palliative care in Malappuram, Kerala, India: a descriptive study of patients and their care-givers.

Background: The well lauded community-based palliative care programme of Kerala, India provides medical and social support, through home-based care, for patients with terminal illness and diseases requiring long-term support. There is, however, limited information on patient characteristics, caregivers and programme performance. This study was carried out to describe: i) the patients enrolled in the programme from 1996 to 2016 and their diagnosis, and ii) the care-giver characteristics and palliative care support from nurses and doctors in a cohort of patients registered during 2013-2015.

Ethical issues in palliative care: considerations.

Discussions on ethics in palliative care often concentrate on issues like patient autonomy or euthanasia. However, the reality in the developing world begs discussion on an entirely different set of problems altogether. One should have a good death, no doubt, but one should also have an opportunity for a good life.