On July 12, 2014 MOHAN Foundation in partnership with Saket City Hospital and with support from Society of Critical Care Medicine, Delhi organized a workshop titled, 'Tackling the Tough Talk,' in the seminar hall of Saket City Hospital, Saket, New Delhi.
Developed and led by Dr Mainak Majumdar (Medical donation Specialist and Intensivist at Peninsula Health Frankston, Australia), "Tackling the Tough Talk" (TTT) is a communication workshop specifically designed for medical professionals to communicate with patients and families on end of life care issues. The module has been developed in Melbourne, Australia, as a high intensity interactive course where clinicians can develop and enhance skills in communicating complex medical information with immediate feedback and proctoring from experienced peers. It provides a format for structured, meaningful and empathetic communication for clinicians.
Ms. Pallavi Kumar, Executive Director, MOHAN Foundation (Delhi-NCR) introduced the workshop and the speakers. Dr. R.K Mani, Director of Institute of Pulmonology, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine, Saket City Hospital welcomed the participants. He said he was very happy to be partnering with MOHAN Foundation, a pioneering organization in organ donation. He then went on to speak about the legal and ethical issues around end of life care in India. He discussed myriad topics ranging from guidelines while communicating to patients and families, the restricting laws for organ donation and end of life care, rights of patients etc He highlighted various case studies such as the Aruna Shaunbag case and the legal and ethical concerns around her. He urged the medical fraternity to be more courageous and take ethical stand for the welfare of patients instead of getting stuck in legal jargon and limited perceptions of law. His session set the mood for the workshop.
Dr. Mainak Majumdar delved deep into the varied aspects of inter-personal conversation between medical professionals and patients and their family in end of life situations. His session emphasized on using everyday language to explain complex medical information, to explore the patients' situation and wishes which in turn would facilitate a collaborative therapeutic journey resulting in a management plan appropriate for the individual patient's circumstances. He said it was important for health care professional to be conscious about their body language, words, expressions and delivery of message while talking to patients and families with terminal illnesses. He also conducted activities with the participants to help them understand the various aspects of communication. His presentation included interesting videos of simulated conversation between doctors and/or patients on end of life decisions. At the end of the session, Dr Majumdar engaged the participants in discussions of case studies and the action they would take in particular situations with patients.
Around 50 healthcare professionals (doctors, nurses, transplant coordinators and counselors) from various hospitals and NGOs of Delhi-NCR participated in the workshop. The workshop concluded successfully with a tea and snacks served at the end and the seminar hall buzzing alive of inspired and moved participants wanting for more.
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