పాలియేటివ్ కేర్ & మెడిసిన్

నైరూప్య

Thanatology in Curriculum: Status and Challenges

Vijayakumar Narayanan

Thanatology, the scientific study of death, is in a process of evolution. Daily death toll of humans is estimated as 150,000. So far, the ongoing Covid pandemic alone caused 500,000 deaths worldwide as on 15th October 2021. Destigamatization of death and dying process requires concerted action. The process of removing the negative connotation of death began in mid-20th century, through pioneering work of Herman Feifel. Death education is beneficial to people of all walks of life. It is an important learning aspect for the health care professionals involved in the care of terminally ill for equipping themselves to address the situation in a more effective manner and guide the significant people of the deceased through the process of grieving. This literature review focus on the current status of Thanatology in and the challenges of incorporating it in our academic curriculum.