The Role of Online Therapy in Palliative Care of Cancer Patients

Cancer is a difficult journey for both patients and their families. Palliative care is essential for improving cancer patients' quality of life since it relieves symptoms, discomfort, and stress. Online therapy has become a vital part of palliative care with the introduction of digital health services, providing easily accessible and efficient support. 

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The World Health Assembly passed resolution WHA67.19 in 2014, which was the first global resolution on palliative care. It urged WHO (World Health Organization) and Member States to increase access to palliative care as a fundamental part of health systems, with a focus on primary care and community/home-based care. According to the World Health Organization, 2016—Palliative care is a crucial part of integrated, people-centred health services and relieving serious health-related suffering.

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We shall explore the use of online therapy in cancer patients' palliative care in this blog. We will go over the several forms of palliative care, the specific procedures for obtaining it, and the advantages of virtual therapy. We will also go over the reasons Rocket Health India is a great option for online therapy-based palliative care.

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Understanding Palliative Care for Cancer Patients

Palliative care is a specialised medical care that aims to relieve the stress and symptoms associated with life-threatening illnesses such as cancer. Enhancing the patient's and their family's quality of life is the primary objective. This kind of care can be given in addition to curative treatment at any stage of the disease. Palliative care takes into account the patient's needs on all fronts, meeting them with medical, emotional, social, and spiritual support. According to Brown et al. (2019), individuals who obtain palliative care at an early stage of their illness may have a longer lifespan than those who do not receive it or who do it later in the process.

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Common Types of Palliative Care

1. Symptom Management: Palliative care mostly focuses on managing symptoms like pain, nausea, exhaustion, and shortness of breath. Skilled healthcare providers create individualised treatment regimens to relieve these symptoms while maintaining the patient's dignity and comfort.

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2. Psychological Support: A cancer diagnosis and course of treatment can be extremely difficult emotionally. Counselling and mental health support are part of palliative care, which helps patients and their families deal with fear, worry, and sadness. Given their effectiveness, psychological therapies ought to be incorporated into cancer patients' regular care routines (Bognár et al., 2024). Online therapy sessions offer a practical means of obtaining psychological assistance from certified therapists.

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3. Nutritional Support: Cancer patients must maintain a healthy diet, although their appetite and digestion may be affected by their therapy. Dietitians and other members of palliative care teams provide patients with individualised meal plans to make sure they get the nutrients they need to maintain their well-being and energy.

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4. Spiritual Care: Many patients find that having a strong spiritual life is essential to managing their disease. This could involve utilising online resources to connect with spiritual advisers or chaplain services. Cancer patients reported higher quality of life, lower levels of depression and lower levels of fear about dying (Puchalski, 2012) . It was also seen in a study that they showed lower levels of suffering when their spiritual well-being was high (Bai & Lazenby, 2015).

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5. Social Support: Assisting cancer patients with their financial concerns, caring responsibilities, and social isolation is part of attending to their social needs. Palliative care social workers offer resources to lessen these pressures as well as practical help.

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Steps to Get Palliative Care

1. Consult Your Oncologist:  Having a conversation with your oncologist is the first step towards obtaining palliative care. They can assist incorporate this care into your entire treatment plan and recommend you to palliative care specialists.

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2. Research Palliative Care Providers: Palliative care services are provided by many hospitals and healthcare facilities in India. It is crucial to investigate and choose providers who meet your demands and preferences. Think on factors like the care team's experience, the services provided, and the location.

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3. Contact Palliative Care Teams: Once you've compiled a list of possible suppliers, get in touch with their palliative care teams to learn more about their offerings. Talk about your individual needs, your therapy objectives, and how they may help you and your family. 

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4. Initial Assessment: A thorough evaluation of the patient's medical, psychological, and social requirements is the first step in palliative care. Palliative care experts will conduct thorough consultations and create an individualised care plan for you.

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5. Develop a Care Plan: The palliative care team will draft a customised care plan based on the results of the initial assessment. The methods for symptom management, psychiatric assistance, dietary requirements, spiritual help, and social support are described in this plan.

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6. Ongoing Support and Adjustments: Palliative care is a continuous process that needs to be reviewed and modified on a frequent basis. Frequent check-ins with the care team guarantee that the patient's requirements are continuously satisfied and that the plan of care is adjusted as needed.

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Relevance to India

In need, there is a growing need for comprehensive palliative care due to the increasing number of cancer patients. In India, there are over a million new cases of cancer identified annually, with 80% of patients presenting with stage III or stage IV disease (Mallath et al., 2014) . It can be difficult to get traditional in-person palliative treatment, particularly in remote locations. This gap is filled by online therapy, which offers easily accessible support, allowing patients all over the nation to obtain prompt and efficient palliative care without having to travel far.

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Why Online Therapy Can Help with Palliative Care

Online therapy offers numerous benefits for palliative care:

Accessibility: Patients can access therapy sessions from the comfort of their homes, reducing the need for travel and minimising stress.

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Flexibility: Online therapy provides flexible scheduling, accommodating the varying needs and energy levels of cancer patients.

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Confidentiality: Sensitive topics can be discussed in a private, safe setting during virtual sessions.

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Continuity of Care: Online systems guarantee that clients have constant access to therapists, facilitating timely interventions and regular support.

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Why Rocket Health India Can Help with Palliative Care

One of the top providers of online therapeutic services is Rocket Health India, which gives cancer patients a complete palliative care strategy. There are therapists who specialise in providing online psycho-oncology care. This is what makes Rocket Health India unique:

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Skilled Experts: Palliative care specialists at Rocket Health India are a group of compassionate and experienced therapists.‍

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Tailored Care Plans: The platform provides customised care plans that meet every patient's specific needs and guarantee all-encompassing support.

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Convenient Access: Receiving continuing support is made convenient for patients by the ease with which they may plan and attend treatment sessions online.

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Constant Monitoring: In order to successfully meet patients' changing demands, Rocket Health India offers constant monitoring as well as treatment plan modifications.

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Conclusion

Palliative care, which aims to improve patients' and their families' quality of life, is an essential part of cancer therapy. In order to provide palliative care that is both effective and accessible, online therapy is essential for removing obstacles and guaranteeing all-encompassing support. Sites like Rocket Health India are having a big impact in India, where access to traditional palliative care might be scarce.

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Rocket Health India provides cancer patients with individualised, adaptable, and ongoing assistance so they can travel through their journey in comfort and dignity.

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References

Bai, M., & Lazenby, M. (2015). A Systematic Review of Associations between Spiritual Well-Being and Quality of Life at the Scale and Factor Levels in Studies among Patients with Cancer. Journal of Palliative Medicine, 18(3), 286–298. https://doi.org/10.1089/jpm.2014.0189 

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Brown, T. J., Smith, T. J., & Gupta, A. (2019). Palliative care. JAMA Oncology, 5(1), 126. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamaoncol.2018.4962 

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Cancer registration in India - current scenario and future perspectives. (2016). PubMed. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27644602 

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Puchalski, C. (2012). Spirituality in the cancer trajectory. Annals of Oncology, 23, iii49–iii55. https://doi.org/10.1093/annonc/mds088 

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World Health Organization: WHO. (2019) Palliative care. https://www.who.int/health-topics/palliative-care