Monthly Archives: December 2015

Training And Development

Medical Writing, , ,

“Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at twenty or eighty. Anyone who keeps learning stays young. The greatest thing in life is to keep your mind young.” – Henry Ford

The most important aspect of our lives and our work is “continuous learning”. Nobody in the world can stop a person who has willingness to learn more and more. Be it school, college, office, or our personal life, everything is based on learning new things every day. However, learning becomes an easy task if there is someone to guide you and to train you.

And there comes the importance of TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT!

Training is defined as a learning process in which a person acquires knowledge and appropriate skills to excel in a particular role. This process helps in the development of an individual and thus, plays an important role in improving the status of an organization, society, as well as a country. However, it is a short-term process and is specific to a particular job/role/skill. On the other hand, development is a long-term process that helps to improve the overall dimensions of an individual, and makes him better equipped to handle any sort of situations.

The important thing is not only training, but the timing and type of training. Imagine a twelve class student being trained on the basic concepts of physics which he had already learnt in class nine, or a training imparted on waste management to the student of economics. Such kind of trainings would just be a waste of time, resources, as well as money. Thus, the most significant aspect of training is the correct type of training to the right people at the most appropriate time.

Usually when we talk about training and development, what comes to our mind is the “human resource development”, i.e. training and development programs that are conducted in an organization for enhancement of the skills of its employees.

So let’s see why do we need training and development in an organization?

  • To enrich the employees with latest technology and knowledge.
  • To match employee specifications with the job requirements.
  • To improve or enhance the skill-set of employees.
  • For personal development of the employees.
  • To improve the quality of work and minimize the wastage of resources.

There are different types of trainings that are conducted based on the requirements of the employees as well as the organization. So let’s look at the various types of training?

  • Induction training: To make the new employees familiar with the procedures, code of conduct, policies, and work profile of an organization.
  • Job training: To improve the knowledge and skills of an employee for his designated job.
  • Refresher training: To incorporate the latest developments, and upgrade the skills of the employee.
  • Safety training: To minimize the accidents and ensure safe working in an organization.
  • Promotional training: For training of the existing employee before his promotion.
  • Remedial training: To overcome the shortcomings of the employees.
  • Internship training: To provide practical knowledge to the students via combined efforts of the educational institutes and industries.

Usually, any training can be imparted via two methods:

  • On-job training methods: Includes job rotation, coaching, job instructions, assignments, and internships.
  • Off-job training methods: Includes lectures, conferences, seminars, case studies etc.

However, any training should not just be the dump of information. It should suit the requirements of the employees and serve their needs. We can say that training and development is effective only if it imparts new and necessary skills, is practical-oriented, and aligns the training needs with the goals of the organization

Some of the advantages of training and development are:

  • Improved knowledge and skills at the level of organization
  • Improved corporate image
  • Organizational development
  • Increased profits of the organization
  • Increased morale of the employees

Nevertheless, there are certain challenges associated with the training and development process like:

  • Difficulty in identifying the needs of the employees
  • Individuals might be resistant to learn
  • Expensive process
  • Needs time and resources
  • Equips staff to resign for better jobs

In a nutshell, we can say that training and development are very important in an organization for its continuous progress. Although it is a challenging and expensive process, training and development in the right direction can help the individuals/employees as well as organization in their growth, and thus, can prove to be a worthwhile investment.

As it is well said, “Leadership and learning are indispensable to each other.” – John F. Kennedy

Turacoz Healthcare Solutions as a socially responsible company spreads the word and awareness and looks forward to collaboration or associations with other agencies/companies with similar goals and aspirations. We have a skilled and competent team of medical writers, clinicians, researchers and biostatisticians. Our clients include major pharmaceutical companies, hospitals and healthcare professionals. Our experience has been in supporting publications, creating regulatory documents, conducting observational studies, designing and creating for print and digital marketing as well as customizing sessions on medical writing. 

Grammar Hammer: Few Tips to Better Yourself in English Grammar

Medical Writing

Practice Flawless English for Good Scientific Writing

Knowledge of grammar is one of the keys to writing clearly and credibly. Whether you are learning a grammar rule for the first time or refreshing your memory, some basic points of English language and grammar need to be kept in mind before you start penning down a scientific document. The medical writer must know the target audience for a particular document. The scientific information in these documents must be presented to suit the level of understanding of the audience, namely, patients or general public, and the physicians. The main advantages of plain English are:

  • It is faster to write
  • It is faster to read, and
  • You get your message across more often, more easily and in a friendlier way

A few tips given here will help you to avoid common grammar and usage errors. These errors are the usual careless mistakes that are checked when a document is being edited and proof-read.

Avoid the Common Grammatical Errors

  • Use Formal Language in the Document
  • Do not write as you would in a medical register/log book. Use articles (a, an, the) wherever necessary, to complete your sentences; e.g., the patient came to the clinic; not patient came to clinic.
  • Many of us think in our mother tongue. While writing, however, avoid in incorrect sentence formations and check for such errors.
  • Avoid using slang/colloquial language that you may use in college, e.g., breast cancer, not CA Breast.
  • Make Clear Comparisons

When drawing comparisons, make it clear as to what or who you are comparing with; do not assume that the reader knows.

For example: We found that the virus affected children more [than adults].

  • Avoid Jargons And Clichés
  • Use of jargons in the document should be minimum. Jargons, if used, must be explained.
  • Get to the point and avoid clichés, such as

– “As you may already be aware…”

– “It is a well-known fact that…” etc.

  • Use Simple Language
  • Be punchy and keep sentences short (not more than 15-20 words in one sentence). Readers may lose track of the meaning if the sentence is too long.
  • Use active voice and first person as much as possible. Active voice is more reader-friendly. Passive voice unnecessarily complicates the sentence. For example, “We found that…” not “It was found that…”
  • Give proper commands wherever necessary. The most common fault is putting ‘customers should do this’ or ‘you should do this’ instead of just ‘do this’. To avoid them from sounding harsh, you can put the word ‘please’ in front. However, if something must be done, it is best not to say ‘please’ as it gives the reader the option for refusal of request.

For example,

  1. The document needs to be reviewed with track-changes. (Passive voice)

   Please review the document with track-changes. (Command)

  1. You should just think of it as a complete statement. (Passive voice)

Just think of it as a complete statement. (Command)

  1. Writers should aim to be precise. (Passive voice)

Be precise. (Command)

  1. They should be split where suitable. (Passive voice)

Split them where suitable. (Command)

  • Reduce Nominalization of Verbs

Nominalized verbs are the nouns which are often used in place of the verbs from which they are derived. Like passive verbs, they also make the sentences dull and heavy.

      Verb                    Nominalization

Complete              Completion

Introduce              Introduction

Arrange                Arrangement

For example,

  1. We had a discussion about the matter. (Nominalized verb)

We discussed the matter. (Verb)

  1. There will be a stoppage of trains by drivers.(Nominalized verb)

Drivers will stop the trains.(Verb)

  • Reach Out to The Readers
  • Be gender-inclusive in your writing. Do not use the general pronoun ‘he’ to include women; instead, use ‘they’.
  • If that is not possible in certain cases, use ‘he or she’.
  • Keep your tone conversational, and avoid words that you wouldn’t use naturally. Terms like ‘therefore’, ‘thus’, and ‘hence’ – should be used less frequently, as they prevent them from connecting with the readers.
  • An article with informative subheadings, bulleted lists and pointers is likely to grab more readership than a plain document with mere cluster of statements and paragraphs.

The Need to Improve Writing Skills

A medical writer is responsible for communicating scientific information. In addition to understanding the scientific aspects, he or she needs to present the information in a clear manner and at a level of understanding appropriate to the target audience. Use of grammatically error-free language, simple short sentences, and active voice with a logical flow of ideas can go a long way in making the information understandable to the readers and garnering huge readership.

 

#AIDS:IndianStatistics

Health & Fitness, , , , , ,

It is believed that around 1920, a deadly virus crossed species from chimpanzees to humans in Kinshasa (Africa), and led to the beginning of an era full of illness, fear, and discrimination. The deadly virus was called human immune-deficiency virus or HIV. Over decades, the virus slowly spread to other parts of the world, and a large number of people became infected. Depressed immunity, huge number of infections, and high mortality rates were observed. In 1982, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) used the term acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) for the first time. AIDS was defined as “a disease at least moderately predictive of a defect in cell mediated immunity, occurring in a person with no known case for diminished resistance to that disease.” Soon, the disease became an epidemic and engulfed the whole world.

As per UNAIDS, the number of people living with HIV increased from 9 million in 1990 to 36.9 million in 2014. AIDS-related deaths also increased drastically from 320,000 in 1990 to 2 million in 2004-05. However, this led to emergence of global actions for management of AIDS and with more people receiving treatment, improvements could be seen. As a result, the number of deaths has been estimated to decrease to 1.2 million in 2014.

WHERE DOES INDIA STAND?

Globally, 15 countries account for nearly 75% of the people living with HIV, with the top 3 countries being South Africa (18%), Nigeria (9%), and India (6%). Being a densely populated country with a large number of people under poverty line, living in unhygienic conditions, or lacking awareness, AIDS is a major health concern in India. By 2013, 2.1 million people were estimated to be living with HIV in India. Out of this, there were approximately 140,000 children aged 0 to 14; 750,000 women aged 15 and above; and 1.9 million adults aged 15 years and above. The prevalence rate in adults was noted to be 0.3.

Let’s look at the regional variations: The distribution of HIV is heterogeneous throughout the country. As per National AIDS Control Organization (NACO), the highest prevalence has been noted in Nagaland (0.88%), followed by Mizoram (0.68%), Manipur (0.64%), Andhra Pradesh (0.59%), Karnataka (0.53%). Chhattisgarh (0.51%), Gujarat (0.50%), Maharashtra (0.40%), Delhi (0.40%), Punjab (0.37%), Bihar (0.33%), Rajasthan (0.32%), and Odisha (0.31%).

Who all are affected?

In India, female sex workers, men who have sex with men, transgender, and people who inject drugs have been identified as the core high-risk groups. They are at high risk of HIV infection and play a significant role in the HIV transmission to general population through sexual networks. Besides them, truck drivers and migrant workers can transmit infection as they have mobile working jobs and are more likely to come in contact with the high-risk groups like female sex workers.

Population National prevalence in 2011
Female sex workers 2.8%
Men who have sex with men 4.43%
Transgender 8.82%
People who inject drugs 7.14%
Migrant workers 0.99%
Truck drivers 2.59%
Source: NACO Annual Report, 2014

The sad part: Unfortunately, 64% of these people living with HIV were found to have no access to the treatment in 2013. This led to approximately 130,000 AIDS-related deaths in India, which accounts for 8% of the AIDS-related deaths in the world and 51% in Asia.

Looking at the brighter side: Even though AIDS is a major concern in India, the number of people living with AIDS has decreased from 2.4 million in 2005 to 2.1 million in 2013. Also, the estimated number of new infections has decreased from 160,000 in 2009 to 130,000 in 2013 (19% decline). A 38% decline has been noted in AIDS-related deaths between 2005 (210,000 deaths) and 2013 (130,000 deaths). Overall, the epidemic is slowing down in India.

And the credit goes to: Various prevention and treatment interventions launched by Government of India under the National AIDS Control Programme (NACP) have played an important role in fighting with AIDS. Its main objective has been to reduce new infections and provide care, support, and treatment to people with HIV or those who are in need. The number of centers providing antiretroviral (ART) treatment has increased from 25 in 2005 to 425 in 2014, and the number of patients receiving first-line ART has increased from 6,845 in 2005 to 768,000 in 2014. HIV counseling and testing services have also scaled-up in India: from 4,567 Integrated Counseling and Testing Centres in 2007-08 to 15,606 in 2013-14. Resources allocation through states has also increased from Rs. 733.04 crores in 2008-09 to Rs. 931.00 crores in 2013-14.

The road ahead: Although improvements have been seen, it is a long way ahead to attain an AIDS-free country. Fast-track targets have been established to secure ZERO new infections, ZERO discrimination, and ZERO AIDS-related deaths in the future. The global consensus is to aim for 90-90-90 by 2020, i.e. 90% of people living with HIV know their HIV status, 90% of people who know their status receive treatment, and 90% of people on HIV treatment have a suppressed viral load so that their immune system remains strong and they are no longer infectious.

By 2020 90-90-90 treatment, ZERO discrimination
By 2030 95-95-95 treatment, ZERO discrimination

Let’s just hope that the occurrence of AIDS keeps on dipping, and we attain ZERO infections!

Sources: NACO and UNAIDS

Turacoz Healthcare Solutions as a socially responsible company spreads the word and awareness and looks forward to collaboration or associations with other agencies/companies with similar goals and aspirations. We have a skilled and competent team of medical writers, clinicians, researchers and biostatisticians. Our clients include major pharmaceutical companies, hospitals and healthcare professionals. Our experience has been in supporting publications, creating regulatory documents, conducting observational studies, designing and creating for print and digital marketing as well as customizing sessions on medical writing. 

#WorldAIDSday- Getting to Zero

Awareness Day/Month, , , , , ,

World AIDS Day, 1 Dec was first declared by the World Health Organization and the United Nations General Assembly in 1988. Since then, it has progressively become one of the most successful ‘international days’ for raising awareness on a global issue.  Globally there are an estimated 34 million people who are infected with the HIV virus. Despite the virus only being identified in 1984, more than 35 million people have died of HIV or AIDS, making it one of the most destructive pandemics in history.

The day is marked by activities to unite people in the fight against HIV, show their support for people living with HIV and to commemorate people who have died. Each year this day is observed with a different theme that focuses on diverse but significant dimension of AIDS. For year 2015, the theme is, “The Time to Act Is Now,” which calls us to act with urgency to implement the latest high-impact, evidence-based HIV prevention strategies.

Where do we stand?

In spite of years of sincere efforts by global healthcare organizations to generate awareness about AIDS, each year thousands of people are diagnosed with HIV. The possible reason for high incidence of AIDS could be that the people do not know the facts about how to protect themselves and others and stigma and discrimination for people living with the condition. World AIDS Day is important because it reminds the public and Government that HIV has not gone away – there is still a vital need to raise money, increase awareness, fight prejudice and improve education. World AIDS Day is an opportunity to show support to and solidarity with the millions of people living with HIV.

World fights AIDS

As a science-based public health and disease prevention agency, centers for disease control and prevention (CDC) provides support that helps more than 60 countries including India strengthen their national HIV/AIDS programs and build sustainable public health systems. CDC conducts these activities through the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR). Recent scientific breakthroughs now point the way to achieving an AIDS-free generation, a goal championed by President Obama in his 2013 State of the Union address. CDC, through PEPFAR, is working to achieve that inspiring goal through proven science, smart investments, and shared responsibility with partner countries. Global efforts have resulted in approximately 13.5 million persons in low-income and middle-income countries receiving antiretroviral therapy (ART) for HIV infection in 2014, an increase from 2013. Globally, more than 15 million people are on ART.

CDC’s core activities focus on:

  • Providing proven combination prevention interventions, including prevention of mother-to-child HIV transmission, antiretroviral treatment, and voluntary medical male circumcision.
  • Reaching orphans and vulnerable children, as well as other neglected and hard-to-reach populations.
  • Building and enhancing health systems, including sustainable human resources for health (e.g., health care workers) and accurate, reliable laboratory systems.

India fights AIDS

Conducting outreach and communication campaigns through the Act against AIDS initiative, including the campaign Let’s Stop HIV Together, which fights stigma and seeks to ensure that all the people should know the facts about HIV.

  • Let’s Stop HIV Together includes many personal stories about living with HIV.
  • Providing training in HIV prevention and treatment.
  • Pleased to join our partners to take unified action to prevent the spread of HIV.
  • Providing funding and technical assistance for health departments.
  • Conducting surveillance and behavioural research.
  • Developing guidelines for HIV treatment, surveillance, and laboratory procedures.
  • Evaluating programs.

As an active member of healthcare industry, each one of us should take it as our moral responsibility to assist the healthcare organizations, NGOs, and social activists of our region in spreading awareness about AIDS. Theme “The Time to Act is Now,” says that everyone in the world should actively participate in teaching and guiding about HIV/AIDS to other fellow members.

Turacoz Healthcare Solutions as a socially responsible company spreads the word and awareness and looks forward to collaboration or associations with other agencies/companies with similar goals and aspirations. We have a skilled and competent team of medical writers, clinicians, researchers and biostatisticians. Our clients include major pharmaceutical companies, hospitals and healthcare professionals. Our experience has been in supporting publications, creating regulatory documents, conducting observational studies, designing and creating for print and digital marketing as well as customizing sessions on medical writing.