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Research Paper | Community Medicine | Volume 15 Issue 9, September 2026 | Pages: 363 - 365 | India
Community, Compassion, and Chronic Illness: Support Circle Viability in Urban Healthcare Settings of Andhra Pradesh
Abstract: Chronic illness carries significant psychosocial burden, yet Indian hospitals rarely offer structured peer-support mechanisms. This qualitative case study examines the perceived need, emotional readiness, and feasibility of hospital-based "support circles" for chronically ill patients across five private healthcare settings in Guntur, Vijayawada, and Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh, spanning rheumatology, nephrology/dialysis, diabetes, oncology, and thalassemia. Using purposive sampling, a 20-item semi-structured interview schedule was administered to 41 respondents (ages 4?80+), with participant-reported, researcher-observed, and staff-reported evidence treated as analytically distinct throughout. Thematic analysis of interviews and field notes was combined with descriptive analysis of questionnaire responses. Findings show meaningful but condition-sensitive openness toward support circles: rheumatology and thalassemia patients displayed exceptionally strong doctor-centred trust; oncology patients showed high emotional intensity and desire for comparable lived experience despite physical proximity to other patients; diabetes was comparatively normalised; and nephrology patients showed pronounced stigma and privacy concerns despite naturally occurring informal peer contact. The study concludes that support circles are a viable complementary psychosocial resource provided they are condition-sensitive, confidential, voluntary, and integrated with existing clinician relationships rather than replacing them.
Keywords: chronic illness; peer support; support circles; psychosocial support; healthcare settings
How to Cite?: Penumatsa Vinya Tejeswini, "Community, Compassion, and Chronic Illness: Support Circle Viability in Urban Healthcare Settings of Andhra Pradesh", Volume 15 Issue 9, September 2026, International Journal of Science and Research (IJSR), Pages: 363-365, https://www.ijsr.net/getabstract.php?paperid=MR26905143916, DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.21275/MR26905143916