Involvement of college students in the Palliative Care movement in Kerala

The Pain and Palliative Care units and local colleges have made an attempt to establish relationships with marginalized groups, people from socially disadvantaged areas and this joint venture has considerable potential for community development.

The present study has been undertaken to analyze the pain and palliative care activities of N.S.S Volunteers/College Students in Kerala.

The respondents of the study include college students rendering Pain and Palliative care services in the State of Kerala. 22 Colleges rendering these services in Ernakulum and Kozhikode districts were selected as sample. For the purpose of analysis, statistical tools like averages, percentages and rank test were applied.

Palliative care units in the colleges were started recently. Only a few N.S.S. volunteers actively involved in palliative care services. Only a few students other than N.S.S. volunteers actively involved in palliative care services. Most of the colleges did not offer home care or care any patient so far and mainly involved in organizational work. Students raised their own funds for rendering palliative care activities. The major physical care provided by the students was changing the clothes of patients and attending to the bed sore.

In Kerala, most the college students rendered palliative care services without having palliative care units in the college. A few N.S.S. volunteers actively involved in palliative care services. Even though most of the college students underwent training in palliative care, they did not care any patient so far and mainly involved in organizational work.