PALLIATIVE CARE IS “HIGH TOUCH…..AND HIGH TECH -
NAPCAIM - NPTEL TIE-UP GAINS ENRICHING RESULTS”

K Radhakrishna Menon

National Vice President

(Content Development, Training and Conferences)

National Association of Palliative Care for AYUSH and Integrative Medicine

(NAPCAIM)

radhakrishna.menon@napcaim.com

8848703774

When I began my palliative care journey in 1997, the mantra that we used to share with the students was 'Palliative Care is High Touch and Low Tech'.

With the advancement in Science and Technology, we transform this mantra to 'High Touch and High Tech'.

In order to accelerate attaining the United Nations Goal No. 3 of Sustainable Development Goals 2030, I.e., “Good Health and Well Being”, National Association of Palliative Care for AYUSH and Integrative Medicine was registered as a national non-profit NGO at Lucknow on 21st May 2020 with Dr. Abhijit K Dam as its President, Dr. K B Linge Gowda, Col. Dr. Yashavant Joshi and Mr. K Radhakrishna Menon as Vice Presidents, Dr. Pankaj Kumar Aggarwal, Dr. Mona Rai and Dr. V V Brigeetha as Assistant Vice Presidents, Dr. Piyush Gupta as Secretary and Ms. Garima Agarwal as Treasurer. Its mission is to strengthen the palliative care delivery system by integrating modern medicine with AYUSH and other healing practices and promote interventions.

Covid 19 Pandemic unleashed terror globally increasing the demand for Palliative Care professionals while the offline trainings stopped creating an urgent need of distance learning courses.  NAPCAIM accepted the challenge and mobilised like minded individuals and institutions to enrol as its life members and organisational members.

It has presently more than 200 life members spread over 52 chapters within the country and 1 abroad.  It has 16 organisational members drawn from different parts of the country.  NAPCAIM is in the process of expanding its chapters and organisational members to reach out to the remotest parts of the country.

Along with this exercise, we were successful in establishing International Institute of Distance Learning (IIDL), its online academic arm, to cater to the growing training needs of human resources.  The Institute is headed by Dr. Geeta Joshi as its Director and Dr. Piyush Gupta its Registrar.  We have the following upgradable online courses:

3 Months Foundation in Palliative Care Course

6 Months Fellowship in Palliative Care Course

12 Months Masters Course in Palliative Care

So far nearly 400 students have enrolled for the above courses.  NAPCAIM is a Not-for-Profit organisation. We found it difficult to run the courses with the highly subsidised fees. We had to spread this message to the local community within the country and abroad. With this end in view, we registered ourselves as Local Chapter of NPTEL-SWAYAM attached to IIT, Kanpur, and in a decisive move, rolled out IIDL courses through them for massive awareness on palliative care delivery in all streams of medicine.

National Programme on Technology Enhanced Learning (NPTEL) was launched in 2003 by seven IITs: Bombay, Delhi, Kanpur, Kharagpur, Madras, Guwahati and Roorkee, in conjunction with the Indian Institute of Science (IISC), Bengaluru.  It is funded by Ministry of Education, Government of India. In March 2014.

NPTEL began offering courses along with in-centre and proctored certification examinations. It is the largest e-repository in the world of courses in engineering, basic sciences and selected humanities and management subjects.

The initiative runs through Massive Open Online Courses (MOOC) model so that students outside IIT system can also participate in learning quality content and get certified provided they meet the passing criteria in the exams conducted at the end of the NPTEL semesters.

All courses are free to enrol and learn from. The certification examination is optional and comes at a fee of Rs 1000 per course conducted by NPTEL in person at any of the designated examination centres.

Dr. Geeta Joshi, Col. Dr. Yashavant Joshi, Dr. Abhijit K Dam, Dr. Piyush Gupta, Dr. Anurag Agarwal, Prof. Dr. Malarvizhi K Natarajan, Mr. K Radhakrishna Menon and Dr. K L Babu made the video recording on their own behalf and on behalf of faculties drawn from NAPCAIM life members who contributed chapter narrations for the courses.

It rolled out its 12 weeks Foundation Certificate in Palliative Care Course on 23rd January 2023.

The same course was re-run in 2024. We are working on the third course to be rolled out soon. The latest status of the courses being conducted is as follows:

Foundation Certificate in Palliative Care

January - April 2023

Total student enrolment : 1301

Registered for the examination : 404

Passed : 367

Foundation Certificate in

Palliative Care

January - April 2024

Total student enrolment : 532

Registered for the examination : 99

Present for the examination : 82

Gold (90 and above) : 18

Silver (75-89) : 40

Elite (60-74) : 16

Completed (40-59) : 5

Failed : (Less than 40) : 3

Basic Certificate in Palliative Care

January - April 2024

Total student enrolment : 1760

Registered for the examination : 556

Present for the examination : 478

Gold (90 and above) : 32

Silver (75-89) : 226

Elite (60-74) : 142

Completed (40-59) : 52

Failed (Less than 40) : 26

We have a few distinctions in the above courses. Also we were able to receive testimonials from successful students who underwent the courses.

“I am delighted to share my heartfelt testimonial upon completing the palliative care course.

This journey has been profoundly enriching and  transformative, both professionally and personally.

The course provided an in-depth understanding of the principles and practices of palliative care, emphasizing compassionate and holistic approaches to patient care. One of the most impactful elements of this course was the opportunity to learn from experienced and dedicated professionals in the field. Completing this palliative care course has been an invaluable experience. It has deepened my understanding of the critical role palliative care plays in enhancing the quality of life for patients and their families. I am now better equipped to advocate for and deliver compassionate, patient-centered care, ensuring that those facing serious illnesses receive the dignity, comfort, and support they deserve and as an educator I am able to share this knowledge with my students too.

I wholeheartedly recommend this course to any healthcare professional seeking to expand their expertise and make a meaningful difference in the lives of patients and their loved ones.”

“It's a proud privilege to pen a few lines as a  feedback to Foundation Certificate In Palliative Care Jan-Apr 2024 .

 The course content was designed meticulously by the NPTEL collaborating with

NAPCAIM at SWAYAM portal. 

 Lectures were very comprehensive.

 Assignments were the gist of the Lectures.

 Timeline for submission of the assignments was adequate.

 Feedback after every week helped learner   to go forward.

 Punctuality in organizing this learning event is undoubtedly applaudable.

 The examinations were conducted all over India with easiest choice of the centre. The centres are well equipped with computer lab and supporting faculties who guided for smooth conduct and completion of examination.

 Godutai Engineering College for Women, S.B.Campus Sharanagar, Kalaburagi, Karnataka, was my examination center with cooperative staff deputed.

Take home message

Learning is a continuous process and NPTEL in collaboration with NAPCAIM at SWAYAM portal gives an easy way to a comprehensive insight for knowledge.”

“The Foundation course of NPTEL is a very unique one and must be done by all who aspire to serve the sufferers of chronic ailments with no permanent cure.

It is guided by faculties like Mr. K Radhakrishna Menon, Dr. Piyush Gupta, Dr. Geeta Joshi madam, Col. Dr. Yashavant Joshi and Dr. Abhijit Dam, who keenly cultivate the very basics of palliative care emphasizing its need and importance during their simple yet empowering lectures.

The lectures are fine tuned to cater to all aspects of palliative care involving intricate knowledge of AYUSH 

AYUSH is elaborately explained by the faculties in their lectures providing solution to ailments in best possible way .

This is the most suitable platform for learning such a crucial subject at your best suitable time .

The lectures are extremely helpful in the final examination .

I highly recommend masses interested in serving the sufferers to please join this foundation course from NPTEL.”

”Being a medical professional, I was very keen to know more about the possibilities of Palliative Care. Hence I joined the course - Basic Certificate in Palliative Care - conducted by SWAYAM , NPTEL and NAPCAIM.

The amazing teaching faculty of the course made the 12 weeks journey quite interesting and informative through their wonderful lectures. The

course was challenging, but you were always there supporting me and ready to help. I enjoyed your class tremendously.

By attending this course, I am sure that it will help me in my practice. I received my certificate and I would like to thank you for your support. All the best for your future initiative.”

“I am immensely proud to be a learner in your course and have gained knowledge which makes me feel confident to carry on with my duties in my speciality of anesthesiology and critical care.

Thank you for such a wonderful course, which will definitely empower the caregivers in palliative care…”

“I learnt a lot from this course especially patient care, communication skills and lot more.

I sincerely thank you everyone who gave their valuable time and shared their knowledge with me, I'm happy that I used all the available resources to the best of my abilities.

Thank you NPTEL”

“It was one of the best learning experiences that I had at NPTEL

online platform and I'd like to thank you for a wonderful experience. Basic Foundation Course in Palliative Care transformed my confidence and relationship with geriatric patients.”

“Your course is nicely organized and very interesting. I am very surprising when getting your mail sir. I am sending my certificate herewith. If possible, kindly share me details of Master and fellowship in Palliative Care Courses.

I am working as Asst. Prof. and Ph.D student of OBGY Nursing in Smt. Radhikabai Meghe Memorial College of Nursing, Datta Meghe Institute of Higher Education and Research (Deemed to be University), Wardha. I am recommending your courses to my students for future promotion and career growth in palliative care.”

“Thank you NPTEL for initiating palliative care course of NAPCAIM on SWAYAM portal. Though it took time and energy to complete watching videos/lectures, weekly assignments and the final online test, yet loved the course content and the

modules explaining minute details of care for ailing patients.

Rightly said, life is all about the choices we make between “Birth and Death” as both B and D is certain.

However, we can make choice how we would accept ours or loved one’s death….

It is a real eye-opener to accept the concept of quality of death we all desire for ourselves and for our loved ones.

I am grateful to my family for supporting my life ambitions…..”

“Thank you for giving me this opportunity. The course was really very informative and engaging. I learnt a lot about the subject from this course as it was very nicely taught and easy to understand. I think every individual should have the basic knowledge about Palliative Care.”

“Palliative care is slowly spreading its wings under the able guidance of its

patrons and mentors. Online NPTEL Course provided an invaluable insight into the domains of palliative care. In this era of technology where compassionate touch is missing, this course under the leadership of Dr. Geeta Joshi, Col. Dr. Yashavant Joshi, Dr Piyush and Dr Abhijit has provided an excellent platform for those who wish to carry forward the torch of palliative care.

I wish to extend my sincere thanks to all the faculties and NPTEL for organizing this course. Looking forward to do the advanced course as well.

Thanks

Dr. Shilpa Sapre”

“Thank you very much for this opportunity.  The Basic Certificate in Palliative Care course conducted jointly by National Association of Palliative Care for AYUSH and Integrative Medicine (NAPCAIM) and NPTEL during January - April 2024  was invaluable.  It covered pain management, communication and psycho-social aspects, all delivered by experienced specialists.  The content was well-structured and delivered in a clear, engaging manner.  The instructors, who were all experienced palliative care specialists, brought real-world scenarios and case studies to life, making the learning process all the more impactful.  One of the biggest take-aways for me was the importance of effective communication in palliative care.  The course delved into techniques for active listening, breaking bad news and facilitating difficult conversations – skills that will be crucial throughout my career, regardless of specialty.  Overall, this Basic Certificate in Palliative Care course has equipped me with the knowledge and confidence to better support patients facing serious illness.  I'm grateful for the opportunity to have participated and highly recommend it to anyone seeking to enhance their understanding and ability to provide compassionate care."

(More testimonials and responses are being received at our secretariat which shall be posted in subsequent reports.)