In India, cancer is a collective experience with close family involvement and patients playing a passive role. Recent research suggested that patients prefer to be involved in their medical decisions. One vital way in which patients and family caregivers can be involved in communication is by adopting '_question-asking_'. One such tool that can promote question-asking is the Question Prompt list (QPL). The project aimed at developing and testing the feasibility of a QPL for Indian cancer patients and their primary family caregivers (PFCs). The project was conducted in three phases: (i) a qualitative study was carried out to understand the information needs of Indian cancer patients undergoing radiation therapy (RT) and their PFCs, (ii) two QPLs were drafted and translated (two Indian languages i.e., Hindi and Marathi) for Indian cancer patients undergoing RT and their PFCs, and (iii) non-randomised controlled trial was carried out to test the feasibility of the QPL. The project implies the need to carry out large-scale physician-endorsed communication interventions.
About the Speaker:
Dr Shweta Chawak, PhD is currently an Assistant Professor at Jindal School of Psychology and Counselling, OP Jindal Global University, India. Her research interests lie in health and medical psychology, with a particular focus on understanding and improving communication in healthcare settings using a multistakeholder perspective, diabetes management, women's health and health behaviours. She received her doctoral degree from the Indian Institute of Technology Hyderabad, India (IITH). Through her PhD, she developed and tested the feasibility of a communication intervention for cancer patients undergoing radiation therapy and their primary family caregivers.