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Volume 6 Issue 5(Suppl) J Palliat Care Med
ISSN: 2165-7386 JPCM, an open access journal
Page 34
Palliative Care 2016
September 29-30, 2016
conferenceseries.com
September 29-30, 2016 Toronto, Canada
2nd Global Congress onHospice & Palliative Care
Santosh K Chaturvedi, J Palliat Care Med 2016, 6:5(Suppl)
ETHICAL CHALLENGES IN PALLIATIVE CARE IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES
There are intriguing and challenging ethical dilemmas in the practice of palliative care in a traditional developing society.
This presentation reviews the different ethical issues involved in cancer and palliative care in developing countries with
special reference to India. Published literature on pain relief and palliative care in the developing countries was reviewed to
identify ethical issues and dilemmas related to these and discuss ways by which ethical principles could be observed in the
delivery of palliative care in such countries. The literature review demonstrated a number of ethical dilemmas and challenges
professionals, cancer patients and their family encountered during palliative care. It was noted that patient’s preferences and
decisions are influenced by the family members. Dilemmas leave the professionals and families confused about how ethical
their actions have been. Specific ethical issues were noted in relation to availability and use of oral morphine for pain relief,
spiritual care, lack of adequate palliative care services and palliative care education. The were difficulties in understanding the
complex ethical issues in a developing country with traditional background. Ethical issues need to be handled delicately and
sensitively in palliative care settings within the framework of traditions and culture of the society and financial constraints. The
possible role of ethics committees in palliative care settings to help decision making needs to be studied and discussed.
Biography
Santosh Kumar Chaturvedi is the Dean of Behavioural Sciences and Professor of Psychiatry at the National Institute of Mental Health & Neurosciences,
Bangalore, India. He is a Member of the International Psycho-Oncology Society and Indian Association of Palliative Care and was a Member of Board of Directors,
International Psycho Oncology Society. He regularly conducts Workshop on Communication Skills in Oncology and Palliative Care settings, and also trains trainers
in teaching Communication skills. His areas of interest include consultation liaison psychiatry, chronic pain, psychosocial oncology, palliative care and quality of
life research.
Santosh K Chaturvedi
National Institute of Mental Health & Neurosciences, India