Category Archives: HR

AI-Driven Insights: Discovering New Research Opportunities in Medical Science

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In the evolving medical research field, identifying unexplored areas and novel opportunities is crucial for advancing scientific knowledge and improving patient outcomes. Effective, traditional methods of literature review and gap analysis can often be time-consuming and prone to human error. This is where artificial intelligence (AI) – a transformative technology- plays a key role in revolutionizing how researchers identify gaps in the literature and uncover new avenues for investigation. This blog explores the role of AI in medical research, specifically how it can analyze existing literature to identify research gaps and suggest new opportunities.

Role of AI in Medical Research

Artificial intelligence, with its capacity to process vast amounts of data quickly and accurately, offers a powerful tool for researchers. AI technologies, such as machine learning (ML) and natural language processing (NLP), can scan and analyze thousands of research papers, clinical trials, and medical records, providing insights that would be impossible to achieve manually.

One of the primary applications of AI in medical research is in literature mining. Systematic literature reviews (SLRs) and meta-analyses, in particular, are critical for synthesizing existing knowledge. However, conducting an SLR manually can take several months to over a year, requiring researchers to sift through thousands of articles to identify relevant studies. This laborious process often involves multiple rounds of selection and data extraction. With AI tools like Covidence, Rayyan, Easy SLR, and Robot Reviewer, this timeline can be drastically reduced, as AI automates the initial stages of searching, screening, and extracting data from large datasets, making the process more efficient.

Moreover, AI can assist in meta-analyses by automating the extraction of relevant data from studies, calculating effect sizes, and synthesizing findings. This automation not only accelerates the research process but also enhances the accuracy and reproducibility of the results.

AI in Identifying Research Gaps

The identification of research gaps is a critical step in the scientific process. A research gap represents an area within a field where little or no information is available, indicating a need for further study. Traditionally, identifying these gaps required extensive literature review, expert consultation, and a deep understanding of the field. However, AI offers a more efficient and systematic approach.

  1. Automated Literature Review

AI-powered tools can perform comprehensive literature reviews in a fraction of the time it would take a human researcher. By scanning thousands of publications, AI can identify under-researched areas, highlight inconsistencies in findings, and pinpoint topics that have not been adequately explored. For example, AI algorithms can map the frequency and distribution of certain keywords or concepts across publications, revealing topics that are either overrepresented or underrepresented in the literature.

While AI can efficiently analyze vast amounts of data, it is essential to maintain a human-in-the-loop approach. Human researchers are crucial in ensuring the correctness and relevance of the AI-generated insights. AI may identify a potential gap based on patterns in the data, but human expertise is necessary to evaluate whether the gap is genuinely significant and to provide the necessary clinical or scientific context. A human in the loop ensures that biases, misinterpretations, or irrelevant results are filtered out, improving the overall accuracy and validity of the findings.

  1. Trend Analysis

AI can track trends in research by analyzing the publication dates, authorship patterns, and citation networks of scientific papers. This analysis can reveal emerging areas of interest, shifts in research focus, and the lifecycle of topics. By understanding these trends, researchers can identify when a field is reaching saturation and where new questions are beginning to emerge.

  1. Sentiment Analysis

NLP techniques enable AI to perform sentiment analysis on research articles, identifying the tone and sentiment expressed in the literature. By analyzing the positive, negative, or neutral language used in studies, AI can detect areas of controversy, skepticism, or confidence within a field. This information can guide researchers toward topics that require further investigation or areas where there is a lack of consensus.

  1. Predictive Analytics

AI’s predictive capabilities can forecast future research trends based on historical data. By analyzing past and present research outputs, AI can predict which areas are likely to gain attention in the future and where potential research gaps may arise. This foresight allows researchers to position themselves at the forefront of emerging fields, contributing to innovative studies that address anticipated knowledge gaps.

AI in Suggesting New Research Opportunities

Beyond identifying existing research gaps, AI has the potential to suggest new research opportunities. By integrating data from multiple sources, AI can uncover connections and correlations that may not be immediately apparent, leading to the generation of novel hypotheses and research questions.

  1. Cross-Disciplinary Research

AI can facilitate cross-disciplinary research by identifying intersections between different fields of study. For example, by analyzing literature from both oncology and immunology, AI might identify a potential link between cancer treatment and immune response that has not been fully explored. These cross-disciplinary insights can lead to innovative research that bridges gaps between traditionally separate fields.

Read More: Predictive Analytics in Medical Research: The Role of AI

  1. Data-Driven Hypotheses

AI’s ability to analyze large datasets enables the generation of data-driven hypotheses. By examining patterns and correlations within clinical data, patient records, and genetic information, AI can suggest new avenues for research that are grounded in empirical evidence. These hypotheses can then be tested in clinical trials or experimental studies, potentially leading to breakthroughs in medical science.

  1. Real-World Data Integration

AI can integrate real-world data, such as electronic health records (EHRs), wearable device data, and social media activity, into the research process. By analyzing this data, AI can identify patterns and trends that may not be visible in traditional clinical studies. This real-world evidence can highlight gaps in current medical knowledge and suggest new research opportunities that are more aligned with the needs and experiences of patients.

Challenges and Considerations

While AI offers significant advantages in identifying research gaps and opportunities, it is not without its challenges. The quality of AI-driven insights depends on the quality of the data it analyzes. Incomplete or biased datasets can lead to incorrect conclusions and missed opportunities. Therefore, it is crucial for researchers to ensure that the data fed into AI algorithms is comprehensive, diverse, and representative of the broader population.

AI algorithms may generate insights based on patterns in the data, but these insights require human interpretation and validation. Human researchers bring critical thinking, domain expertise, and the ability to assess the broader scientific context that AI lacks. Additionally, AI systems may sometimes generate false positives or overlook subtle nuances that are crucial in the interpretation of research gaps and opportunities.

Monitoring AI systems and ensuring proper checks and balances are in place is vital for the integrity of the research process. AI can suggest promising avenues of research, but human researchers must critically evaluate and refine these suggestions to ensure that they align with scientific goals and ethical standards.

AI is transforming the way researchers identify gaps in the medical literature and uncover new opportunities for investigation. By automating literature reviews, analyzing trends, and generating data-driven hypotheses, AI enables researchers to focus on the most promising areas of study and contribute to the advancement of medical science. However, the successful integration of AI into the research process requires careful consideration of data quality and a collaborative approach that leverages the strengths of both AI and human expertise.

As AI continues to evolve, its role in medical research will likely expand, offering even more sophisticated tools for identifying research gaps and suggesting new opportunities. For researchers and medical communication professionals, embracing AI’s potential is key to staying at the forefront of scientific discovery and innovation.

Because if you kill yourself, you’re also going to kill those who love you

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Suicide has become the 3rd highest reason for deaths today in the world, notably among the age group of 15-44 years (male & female). As per the reports, there is 1 death every 40 seconds globally. The suicide rate, globally, has increased by 60% in the last 45 years. Suicide endeavors are up to 20 times more incessant than finished suicides.

This is undeniably a sad state as predominantly the youth is becoming suicidal. When you are surrounded by problems and cannot figure out a way, suicide is not the solution. But still, many people fail to understand this fact and end up taking their lives, leaving their near & dear ones in immense pain, shock & trauma.

The world celebrates “World Suicide Prevention Day” on 10th September to spread awareness about suicide & offer worldwide commitment & action to prevent suicides.

The theme for 2018 is “Working together to prevent suicide.”

There are various reasons for suicide, to name some:

  • Unemployment
  • Losing a loved one
  • Family problems
  • Financial issues
  • Alienation from community, society or any group
  • Mental disorders like depression, substance abuse, etc.

As per a survey, mental states like depression account for most suicides in the world, about 90%.

According to the reports by WHO:

  • The Eastern European region has the highest suicide rate for both the genders.
  • India & China contribute to 30% of total suicides worldwide.
  • 55% of people aged between 15-44 years & 45% aged 45 or above commit suicide.
  • Suicide among the youth is becoming a major reason for concern.

Suicide in India:

A land of over 1.32 billion people has a suicide rate of 16.4 per 100,000 women (6th highest globally) & 25.8 for men (22nd highest in the world), according to WHO. The major causes are identified as family issues, prolonged illness & any mental disorder. People in the age group of 15-44 had the highest number of suicides.

Turacoz Healthcare Solutions understands the severity of the problem and presents some tips to help a suicidal person.

First, let’s get ourselves clear about common misconceptions about suicide:

  • Individuals who discuss suicide won’t usually do it
  • Any individual who tries to kill him/herself must be insane
  • In the event that a man is resolved to murder him/herself, nothing will stop them
  • Individuals who committed suicide were individuals unwilling to have looked for help
  • Discussing suicide may give somebody the thought

If you pay attention, then anyone who is about to attempt a suicide or is having suicidal thoughts, won’t commit it abruptly. He/she will drop some or the other hint. Being alert & noticing the hints can aid in preventing the suicide

Below mentioned are some hints that a person thinking of suicide might drop:

  • Discussing suicide
  • Searching out deadly means like pills, gun, etc.
  • Distraction with death
  • No expectation for what’s to come
  • Self-hatred, self-loathing
  • Getting undertakings all together like making a will, etc.
  • Saying farewell
  • Pulling back from others
  • Causing harm to themselves
  • A sudden feeling of quiet

Preventing the suicide:

Because if you kill yourself, you’re also going to kill those who love you

  • Speak up to the individual whom you are really concerned about. If you think he/she is having suicidal intentions, you, being the individual to share the sentiments with might make him feel comfortable and by talking, you will also get an idea of his mental state and judge the gravity of the situation.
  • Respond promptly in a deadlock. Once you have analyzed the urgency of the situation and sensed the degree of the threat, respond accordingly. Call emergency services, remove any hazardous material or weapons & make sure to stick with the person about to commit suicide.
  • Extend your support & sympathy. Lay an ear to the person and hear out all he/she has to say. Comfort the individual and try to console him/her. Show your faith in him/her and make the person believe that they are much needed here and are loved and cared for.

To help a suicidal person you should:

  • Reach out for professional help
  • Have a follow-up on the treatment
  • Raise the person’s morale & encourage a healthy lifestyle for him
  • Keep the person distant from any measures of suicide
  • Keep supporting and caring

There are various Suicide helplines you can reach out to even if you are the person concerned or the victim itself. Below are the list & details of a few 24/7 suicide helplines for India:

  1. AASRA: +91 22-27546669/ +91 22-27546667

      Email: [email protected]

  1. 1life: +91 78930-78930

      Email: [email protected]

  1. Vandrevala Foundation: 1860-266-2345/ 1800-233-3330

      Email: [email protected]

Suicide is an issue that needs to be taken care of immediately. Your support and love for such people can make them love their life again. The individuals suffering from suicidal thoughts don’t want to die; they want their pain to die. We can help them with ending their suffering or at least make them forget their misery and live again.

To all those people who are thinking of ending their existence, Turacoz wants to convey to them the message that-

“You are not alone. Everyone feels lonely at some stage in his or her life. But this feeling is momentary and will not last forever. The world is a predominant place with you in it. Love yourself!”

Art of Effective Team Management

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Managing a team to success requires more than just simply assigning tasks to individuals. Handling a team can be exciting, rewarding and exhausting. Being responsible for a team of people you have never met before and then being accountable for their development, achievements, and performance can be little petrifying.

So, what does it take to manage the team effectively? Good Leadership! Yes, for effective team management to work, it needs good leadership. A manager must work upon to strengthen the bonds between the individuals in their team and must possess good management skills.

We often hear the terms ‘leader’ and ‘manager’ used inclusively, but there is actually a difference. By definition, a leader is someone who creates the vision, innovates, and focuses on the long-term overview, and a manager is the person who gathers the necessary tools and resources to set, measure, and accomplish the vision. The leader is the one with the people skills, whereas the manager focuses on systems and structures. But away with that — we all know that for a manager to stand out, having leadership qualities is a must.

Being able to communicate well and develop a relationship with all the members of the team is critical for building trust, promoting collaboration, and enhancing teamwork. A team who enjoy working together, is more likely to succeed together.

Here are some tips for achieving a happier and more productive team:

  1. Being transparent: Transparent working environments have been found to make teams more accountable, happy and creative. Transparent work environments help to develop a feeling of mutual respect between team members and team leaders.
  2. Keep communicating: The foundation of a cooperative and productive team is good communication. Open and consistent communication at workplace helps employees to feel secure in their positions. In turn, team members feel freer to contribute ideas and suggestions, enhancing creativity.
  3. Constant feedback: Providing feedback to team members is one of the best ways you can support them to develop professionally and personally. Feedback can be difficult, but it is an essential part of effective team management.
  4. Encourage collaboration: Team members feel happy if they can get along well with one another & can perform better too.
  5. Trust your team to do their job: Effective team management shouldn’t mean micro-management. Leaving your team to do their job without you constantly hovering over their shoulder will not only highlight your confidence in them to do a good job, but it will also give you time to complete your own tasks — a win-win for everyone really.
  6. Recognize achievements: If someone’s doing a good job, acknowledge it. Recognizing efforts illustrates to your team that you are paying attention to them, and that you appreciate their hard work.
  7. Foster development: Encouraging employees to acquire new or advanced skills, knowledge, viewpoints and ensure that the team members are happy in their roles are crucial factor for the overall growth of business.

Turacoz Healthcare Solutions takes pride in having very effective and efficient team managers who understands the need and expectation of the team members. We believe in supporting all our employees in every way possible. We are a listening organization and continuously working in the lines of perfecting our teams. To work with us please do visit career section.

‘Feedbacks’ – Key to Improvement

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“Feedback is the key to improvement.”

I wish giving feedback was as easy as it is to write down these words. But, why? Why is it that feedbacks are so feared?

During my career, what I could figure out is that giving feedback is an ‘art’. A highly complicated art that involves an exchange of views, based on facts and figures, between the employee and the manager, smartly. Learning this art can help you become a better leader, become more self-aware, understand how others see you, look beyond your own biases.

One of the best ways to improve yourself in any area of life-is to ask for feedback. I strongly believe that “You don’t get better at anything unless you get feedback.”

However, we can always make feedback sharing creative. Following tips can be helpful to receive and give feedback more effectively:

Receiving Feedback

  • Listen to the feedback given
  • Be aware of your non-verbal responses
  • Be open and receptive to new ideas and different opinions
  • Make sure you understand what is being said to you, especially before responding to the feedback
  • Assess the value of the feedback and the consequences of using it or ignoring it, and then decide what you want to do. Your response is your choice
  • Follow up on feedback

Giving Feedback

  • Prioritize your ideas and understand their value.
  • Concentrate on the behavior, not the person.
  • Balance the content. by providing comments on specific strengths, to give reinforcement and identify things the recipient should keep doing, identify specific areas for improvement and ways to make changes. Conclude with a positive comment.
  • Be realistic. Feedback should focus on what can be changed.
  • Own the feedback. When offering evaluative comments, use the pronoun “I” rather than “they” or “one”, which would imply that your opinion is universally agreed on
  • Be timely. Being prompt is key because feedback loses its impact if it is delayed too long.
  • Offer continuing support. Feedback should be a continuous process, not a one-time event.

These tips will work best for more structured feedback sessions but are worth bearing in mind for less planned conversations too.

Constructive and relevant feedback can help an individual learn the existing knowledge gaps.

At Turacoz we believe that effective feedback, both positive and negative, is very helpful and give benefits to the giver, the receiver, and the wider organization. Feedbacks are given and also taken. It helps in clarifying expectations, enable people learn from their mistakes and builds confidence We firmly believe that feedback is an essential part of training and personal development.

To know more about Turacoz Healthcare Solutions click here

 

Maintaining Work-Life Balance for Healthy and Fulfilling Life

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People have argued about the concept of “Work-Life Balance” for decades and it implies something distinctive to everybody. Some might think that the balance is achieved when they can leave work early enough to eat dinner with family. While others might view it as having a flexible schedule, so that they can incorporate their other interests along with work like studying part-time. Yet some others might feel fulfilled spending their “free” time progressing their career.

‘Work-life balance’ is the term used to describe the balance that an individual need between time allocated for work and other aspects of life. The saying goes that ‘All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy’.

Achieving Optimal Work-Life Balance

It can be challenging to attain a great work-life balance, particularly when organizations downsize, and individuals are anticipated to take on additional assignments, or when your obligations at domestic front conflict with those at work.

The methodologies underneath can assist you achieve a balance. A few of them may suit you way better than others, so choose the ones you think will work best for you.

Here are a few ways to improve your work-life balance:

1. Work-Life Balance does not mean an equal balance, there is no ‘perfect’ balance.

When we hear “work-life balance,” we probably envision waking up early, going for work-out, getting meal, heading off to work, have lunch, come home early, cook dinner, and retiring to bed by 9 PM with a nice book and going off to sleep by 10 PM. however, that’s often not the case.

Trying to schedule equal number of hours for work and personal activities is usually unrewarding and unrealistic. Life is and ought to be more fluid than that. We should not strive for the perfect schedule but, for a realistic one. Some days, you might focus more on work, while other days you might have more time and energy to pursue your hobbies or relax with your loved ones. Balance is achieved over time and not every day.

2. Be productive at work

The more productive and efficient you are at work, the simpler it is for you to go home at a sensible time.

Make sure you like your job. If you hate what you are doing, you aren’t going to be happy and content. You don’t have to love every aspect of your work, but it needs to be exciting enough that you don’t fear getting out of bed every single morning.

3. Prioritize your health.

Prioritizing your health, will make you a better employee and individual in true sense. Your overall wellbeing should be your fundamental concern. In the event you’ve been struggling with anxiety or depression and you think any treatment would benefit you, fit those sessions into your schedule, even if you need to leave work early or take time off from other activities.

4. Flexibility

Flexibility plays a vital role in maintaining a good work-life balance. Research has shown that people who believe they have flexible jobs look more favorably on their work-life balance than those with the same workload but with no perceived flexibility. It also found that team members who think their jobs are flexible do longer hours before their workload has a negative effect on them.

Another research came to similar conclusions: you are more likely to stay and feel satisfied in your job if you have access to flexible working arrangements.

Ask your boss to permit more flexibility in your schedule. Perhaps, you could work from home occasionally, come in and leave early, or have some flexibility with your working hours. Job sharing, when two people split the responsibilities of one role, is another well-known option.

5. Finding time for yourself

Work-life balance means having time for yourself as well. While your work is important, it shouldn’t be your whole life. You should prioritize work, activities or hobbies that make you happy.

The people and the work that you love deserve your best, and you can only give it when you stay healthy and look after yourself.

To bring more balance in your life, review how you spend your time, identify and eliminate low-value tasks and try to put more efforts on activities that you believe will make difference. Be flexible and add flexibility to your schedule. Discover the reason and fulfillment in whatever work you do.

Turacoz Healthcare Solutions understands the significance and importance of maintaining a perfect work-life balance and supports its each employee to ensure that they stay stress-free and enjoy their work without their personal lives being hampered. We also urge every working individual to take charge in achieving the same. Let us all pledge to bring in the perfect blend of personal and professional life.

Relationship Building at Workplace

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Our current lifestyle revolves around our workplace duties and responsibilities. Every day we spend the major part of our time at our workplace. In order to have a satisfying job, we must enjoy the work. Maximum output and increased productivity can only be achieved if we have a healthy working environment. Work becomes burden if we don’t have people around to talk to or discuss and brainstorm ideas. Also, it is okay to trust our colleagues, provided we don’t cross our limits and disclose confidential matters.

Let us look at the various impacts of relationship building at workplace:

  • A knowledgeable individual is one who on one hand improvises on the negative qualities of his/her colleague and on the other glorifies their strengths. This trait helps in resolving conflicts. Conflicts at work place lead to no solutions whereas on the other hand nice gesture sets things straight.
  • As a mature professional, one needs to keep a check on his/her emotions. One must learn to ignore negative people or sit with him/her and try to mutually sort out their differences.
  • Managers must have a healthy relationship with their subordinates. Listening to them closely, helps the subordinates to strive hard and perform better. Doing this, a good manager can ensure their team’s performance is the best under all situations.
  • Knowledge sharing is important factor governing career excellence. Sharing with the team is a two-way learning process.
  • An individual need to be a team player and pay attention to other team member ideas as well.
  • Unnecessary conflicts and misunderstandings at workplace lead to stress. An individual would never be able to deliver his/her level best if she/he is under stress.

Importance of Relationship Building

  • Healthy relationship is the key to positive ambience at workplace.
  • Healthy relationship goes a long way in extracting the best out of individuals.
  • Healthy relationship leads to mental peace. One tends to enjoy his/her work if he/she has a trustable environment.
  • Healthy relationship leads to people from varied backgrounds and expertise come together on a common platform, exchange ideas and reach to best possible solutions and strategies.
  • Healthy relationship among employees also goes a long way in inculcating a sense of pride and loyalty for the organization. People tend to enjoy their work and office.
  • Healthy relationship among employees plays a crucial role at the time of crisis. Emergency situations are unpredictable and can arise anytime. It is necessary that people help each other for increased productivity and better output.

Relationship Building Approaches at Workplace:

  • Be honest in your relationships. Never lie to people you are close to.
  • Respect others. Superiors ought to respect their subordinates if they expect the same in return.
  • Never misguide If you feel your team member is going on the wrong track, guide him/her immediately. Give others the right suggestion.
  • It always pays to be straight forward in relationships. Never speak ill about someone behind their back.
  • Be transparent in relationships. A senior need to be transparent with his/her subordinates and vice a versa. Favoritisms should be avoided.
  • One needs to communicate effectively for successful relationships. The other person must understand what you intend to communicate.
  • Learn to say a polite yet firm ‘NO’ to people.
  • Leave your ego behind the moment you step inside the office. Be kind to each and every-one. It pays in the long run.
  • Learn to forgive
  • Motivate each other and avoid being jealous. Help each other at the times of crisis.
  • Develop a habit of working in teams. Responsibilities ought to be distributed equally among employees as per their expertise and work experience.
  • Do not open any of your team member’s personal files, couriers or letters just because he/she is your friend. Such an approach is unprofessional and unacceptable.

Turacoz Healthcare Solutions (THS) strongly believes in a transparent and healthy workplace environment. We understand the benefits of relationship building in today’s world and encourage everyone to be a team player. If you have the zeal for writing and enjoy working with a dynamic team visit us at https://turacoz.com/careers/.

 

Employee Empowerment

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Over and over we keep hearing about how employees want to feel connected to their work. How much they want their contributions to matter and impact the business as a whole. Empowering the team members is a great way to discover and develop the individual strengths, and then absorb them in new roles where they can excel.

Employee empowerment allows the employees to have control over their work. It gives a degree of autonomy and responsibility for decision-making in certain organizational tasks. Also, it encourages the employee to play a more active role in their work, involves them more in their specific role and enables them to make better, bigger and independent decisions (Figure-1).

Figure 1: Employee empowerment

 

In a corporate setting, employee empowerment can emerge out as powerful drivers for better performance, profitability and productivity for organizations (Figure-2).

Figure 2: Empowerment in corporate world

Turacoz Healthcare Solutions strongly believes in and practices employee empowerment. We take pride in providing employees with the skills, tools, information, and above all, the authority and responsibility for their work.

If you are looking to work with a team where every member is encouraged to be a performer, an achiever and a leader, come join us and be the part of our team!!! Share your profile on [email protected].

 

 

 

Practicalities of Working From Home

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Work-From-Home (WFH) is one of the main argument topics lately. WFH as well as flexible working hours are the two major retention tools for working mothers and even other employees. Time is changing very fast, and it has become necessary to build a transparent culture within, which includes trusting employees to work whenever they want. The benefits of working from home are shown in Figure-1.

 

Figure-1: Practicalities of Working from Home

 

We @Turacoz Healthcare Solutions understand the significance of a better work-life balance and realize that employees often value the flexibility of working from home. We firmly believe that best work does not always happen within the restricted office hours of 9-5 and hence have integrated remote working arrangements and flexi time in our culture. So, if you are interested in what we do and looking for a gig that will let you work from home completely/occasionally, reach out to us at [email protected] . To know more about our company visit https://turacoz.com/ and http://www.turacozskilldevelopment.org/.