PalaSh (PALliative Care App for a Systematic and Holistic approach to cancer care) represents a thoughtful convergence of technology and compassion, aimed at strengthening the delivery of cancer palliative care in India. Conceived and developed by the palliative care team led by Dr Mayank Gupta at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Bathinda, with support from the Cipla Foundation, PalaSh has been designed to support healthcare teams in providing timely, coordinated, and patient-centred care across clinical and community settings.
At its core, PalaSh seeks to address one of the most persistent challenges in palliative care — the need for systematic assessment and continuity of care without losing the human touch. The app enables multidisciplinary teams to conduct structured assessments, deliver timely interventions, and seamlessly coordinate care across hospitals, clinics, and home settings.
The app was successfully tested over the past five months by Dr Mayank Gupta and his team. Since May 2025, more than 1,200 patients and over 4,000 patient visits have been registered on the platform, reflecting its growing utility and acceptance in real-world clinical practice.
Smart, Scalable, and Secure
Built with scalability at its core, PalaSh allows multiple healthcare institutions to join a modular, interoperable, and secure ecosystem while maintaining independent data management and strict confidentiality. Role-based access control ensures each healthcare professional views only information relevant to their role. The one-time patient registration securely stores demographics, clinical details, and medical history to ensure continuity and personalization of care. Each patient receives a unique ID, optionally linked to Aadhaar, allowing accurate long-term record linkage.
A Dashboard that Speaks the Language of Care
At the heart of PalaSh lies a dynamic digital dashboard offering real-time overviews of patient volumes, follow-up schedules, opioid usage, and discharge data. Automated reporting tools generate performance metrics, simplifying audits and evaluations. Smart notifications alert clinicians about missed appointments, bereavement follow-ups, and high-priority patients needing attention—ensuring no patient is left behind. The patient list view further streamlines daily operations.
Evidence-Based Assessment and Intelligent Triage
To ensure holistic evaluation, PalaSh integrates validated assessment tools such as SPICT-4ALL, ESAS, HAM-A, PHQ, HADS, and EORTC QLQ-C15 PAL. An automated triaging algorithm classifies patients into high, medium, or low priority, helping teams allocate resources efficiently. Clinicians can manually adjust triage levels, supported by dashboard reminders to revisit critical cases regularly.
Comprehensive Patient Visit Management
The Patient Visit Management module documents every interaction—capturing complaints, diagnoses, treatments, investigations, and wound care with supporting images. Integrated ICD-11 coding ensures standardized diagnosis documentation, while a built-in medication database enables efficient prescription generation and tracking. Each prescription carries the prescriber’s secure digital signature, ensuring transparency and accountability.
Continuity Beyond the Clinic
True to its holistic vision, PalaSh extends care into the community through Follow-Up Management and Geo-Tagging. Home visits can be planned, tracked, and prioritized using Google Maps API integration, generating optimized routes for community care teams based on symptom burden and last contact date. Automated alerts highlight urgent follow-ups, while patient feedback modules capture experiences after each care phase—helping teams continually enhance service quality.
Empowering Healthcare Providers
Recognizing that compassionate care is strengthened by continuous learning, PalaSh includes in-app educational modules with videos, case studies, and clinical guidelines. A secure in-app chat function fosters real-time communication among team members, enabling remote consultations and collaborative decision-making.
Automated Analytics for Smarter Decisions
The built-in Performance Analytics Engine automatically compiles and visualizes key indicators—turning complex data into actionable insights. This automation saves time, minimizes manual effort, and supports continuous quality improvement and planning.
A Vision for the Future of Palliative Care
PalaSh is more than an app—it is a movement toward compassionate, connected, and data-driven palliative care. By merging technology with empathy, PalaSh ensures that every patient receives dignity, comfort, and coordinated support, marking a transformative leap in the future of palliative cancer care in India.
Organisations interested in using the app may contact Dr Mayank Gupta at drm_gupta@yahoo.co.in for further details.
About the Author:
Dr Mayank Gupta currently works at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Rishikesh. The PalaSh App was conceived and developed by Dr Gupta and his team at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Bathinda (AIIMS Bathinda), during his tenure there.
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