A) HASHIMOTO’S THYROIDITIS (Lymphocytic Thyroiditis)
1. The term “Thyroiditis” refers to “inflammation of the thyroid gland”.
2. There are many possible causes of thyroiditis. Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, also known as chronic lymphocytic thyroiditis, is the most common cause of hypothyroidism.
3. It is an autoimmune disorder in which antibodies directed against the thyroid gland lead to chronic inflammation.
4. It is not known why some people make antibodies, although this condition tends to run in families.
5. Over time, however, this results in impaired ability of the thyroid gland to produce thyroid hormones, leading to gradual decline in function and eventually an underactive thyroid (hypothyroidism).
6. Hashimoto’s thyroiditis occurs most commonly in middle aged women, but can be seen at any age, and can also affect men, and children.
B) WHAT IS THE THYROID GLAND?
1. The thyroid gland is a butterfly-shaped endocrine gland that is normally located in the lower front of the neck.
2. The thyroid’s job is to make thyroid hormones, which are secreted into the blood and then carried to every tissue in the body.
3. Thyroid hormone helps the body use energy, stay warm and keep the brain, heart, muscles, and other organs working as they should.
C) WHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS OF HASHIMOTO’S THYROIDITIS?
1. There are no signs or symptoms that are unique to Hashimoto’s thyroiditis.
2. Because the condition usually progresses very slowly over many years, people with Hashimoto’s thyroiditis may not have any symptoms early on, even when the characteristic TPO (thyroid peroxidase) antibodies may be detected in blood tests.
3. TPO is an enzyme that plays a role in the production of thyroid hormones.
4. However, over time, thyroiditis causes slow and chronic cell damage leading to the development of goitre (enlarged thyroid) with gradual thyroid failure, and most patients will eventually develop symptoms of hypothyroidism.
5. Hypothyroid symptoms may include fatigue, weight gain, constipation, increased sensitivity to cold, dry skin, depression, muscle aches and reduced exercise tolerance, and irregular or heavy menses.
D) HOW IS THE DIAGNOSIS OF HASHIMOTO'S THYROIDITIS MADE?
1. The diagnosis of Hashimoto’s thyroiditis is often made when patients present with symptoms of hypothyroidism, often accompanied by the finding of a goitre (an enlarged thyroid gland) on physical examination, and laboratory tests consistent with hypothyroidism, an elevated serum TSH with low thyroid hormone (Free thyroxin) levels.
2. Antibodies against TPO, when measured, are usually elevated.
3. Occasionally, the disease may be diagnosed early on, especially in people with a strong family history of thyroid disease, during routine laboratory screening, even before the patient develops symptoms of hypothyroidism.
4. In these cases, often isolated mild elevation of serum TSH is seen, with normal levels of thyroid hormones and positive TPO antibodies.
E) HOW IS HASHIMOTO THYROIDITIS TREATED?
1. Patients with elevated TPO antibodies but normal thyroid function tests (TSH and Free thyroxin) do not require treatment.
2. For those patients with overt hypothyroidism (elevated TSH and low thyroid hormone levels) treatment consists of thyroid hormone replacement Synthetic levothyroxine taken orally at an appropriate dose is inexpensive, very effective in restoring normal thyroid hormone levels and results in improvement of symptoms of hypothyroidism.
3. Most patients with Hashimoto’s thyroiditis will require lifelong treatment with levothyroxine.
4. Finding the appropriate dose, particularly at the beginning may require testing with TSH every 6-8 weeks after any dose adjustment, until the correct dose is determined.
5. After that, monitoring of TSH once a year is generally sufficient.
6. When levothyroxine is taken in the appropriate dose, it has no side effects.
7. However, when an insufficient dose is taken, serum TSH remains elevated and patients may have persistent symptoms of hypothyroidism.
8. If the dose is excessive, serum TSH will become suppressed and patients may develop symptoms of hyperthyroidism.
SHARED BY: MKR
Friday, October 27, 2017
TRAINING NEEDS IDENTIFICATION (TNI)
1. Any company delving into training and development of its workforce should first learn how to properly identify and assess training needs.
2. This is the single most important thing that helps executives to address the gaps between the existing training and training which will be required in the future.
3. Here’s a brief overview of three different needs managers should look at and three assessment methods for identifying key training needs at any organization.
A) Industry-related needs:
i) Those are quite simple, but it can still be challenging to narrow them down when formulating your training program.
ii) There surely exist certain pieces of industry knowledge that employees should have.
iii) This need essentially derives from how the organization fits into the industry.
iv) For example, an operation group which creates parts for high-tech appliances may require the knowledge about where those parts go, what kind of appliances they structure, and how the operation of those appliances coordinated by other companies affects the industry as a whole.
v) When assessing this need, know how to differentiate what needs to be known from what would be nice to know.
B) Job-related needs
i. Job related needs is those that relate directly to jobs which are part of the organization.
ii. How to look for job-related needs?
iii. By researching whether there’s training available for certain jobs. If not, organizations might create a complete training program for a job.
iv. The purpose of job-related needs is to improve the final output of the job itself.
v. It can be building an error-free part for a technological appliance or a completed call with a customer.
vi. The key is to identify which aspects of the job belong to executive positions and which ones are related to on-the-job training.
C) Task-related needs
i. A task-related need usually comes in the form of a requirement in a particular part or output within a job or Job Scope.
ii. Just consider – it’s a combination of different tasks and processes that create your job on a daily to yearly basis.
iii. Sometimes one or more aspects of a job aren’t working and affect the overall productivity of a worker.
iv. Consider this example – a customer service representative performs well in sales and customer satisfaction, but when it comes to data inputs into the CRM system, they’re pretty hopeless.
v. This problem might affect contact with the customers or even the number of closed sales.
4. Assessment methods
4.1 Organisational perspective:
i. This kind of assessment is focused on the effectiveness of the enterprise as a whole.
ii. It aims to identify any discrepancies, revealing the knowledge and skills required to bridge gaps.
iii. Organizational assessments analyse factors like the economy, new environmental policies and changing workforce demographics.
iv. These assessments determine which parts of the organization require training and whether it will fill the gaps when implemented.
4.2 Task-related perspective:
i. Task assessments compile information about a particular job function.
ii. It’s an analysis that identifies key tasks, competencies and skills that are required to perform the job efficiently.
iii. It’s based on detailed job descriptions, skill analyses and inventory questionnaires which are how key training needs can be pinpointed.
iv. Enterprises undergoing restructuring or taking on a new direction can greatly benefit from this assessment.
v. It basically determines whether there are any gaps between existing competencies and those required for improved performance.
4.3 Individual assessment:
i. The individual assessment looks at particular employees to discover their level of performance.
ii. This analysis identifies the existing skills and qualifications, as well as capacity for learning. Individual assessment will show who needs training and what kind of training is needed most.
iii. It uncovers the strengths of employees and areas for competency improvement.
iv. Focus on each kind of training need before moving forward and determining the best course of action for the enterprise.
v. Each assessment will help you improve different aspects of the organization and build specific training programs to address important gaps and boost the effectiveness of the company.
Shared by: MKR
2. This is the single most important thing that helps executives to address the gaps between the existing training and training which will be required in the future.
3. Here’s a brief overview of three different needs managers should look at and three assessment methods for identifying key training needs at any organization.
A) Industry-related needs:
i) Those are quite simple, but it can still be challenging to narrow them down when formulating your training program.
ii) There surely exist certain pieces of industry knowledge that employees should have.
iii) This need essentially derives from how the organization fits into the industry.
iv) For example, an operation group which creates parts for high-tech appliances may require the knowledge about where those parts go, what kind of appliances they structure, and how the operation of those appliances coordinated by other companies affects the industry as a whole.
v) When assessing this need, know how to differentiate what needs to be known from what would be nice to know.
B) Job-related needs
i. Job related needs is those that relate directly to jobs which are part of the organization.
ii. How to look for job-related needs?
iii. By researching whether there’s training available for certain jobs. If not, organizations might create a complete training program for a job.
iv. The purpose of job-related needs is to improve the final output of the job itself.
v. It can be building an error-free part for a technological appliance or a completed call with a customer.
vi. The key is to identify which aspects of the job belong to executive positions and which ones are related to on-the-job training.
C) Task-related needs
i. A task-related need usually comes in the form of a requirement in a particular part or output within a job or Job Scope.
ii. Just consider – it’s a combination of different tasks and processes that create your job on a daily to yearly basis.
iii. Sometimes one or more aspects of a job aren’t working and affect the overall productivity of a worker.
iv. Consider this example – a customer service representative performs well in sales and customer satisfaction, but when it comes to data inputs into the CRM system, they’re pretty hopeless.
v. This problem might affect contact with the customers or even the number of closed sales.
4. Assessment methods
4.1 Organisational perspective:
i. This kind of assessment is focused on the effectiveness of the enterprise as a whole.
ii. It aims to identify any discrepancies, revealing the knowledge and skills required to bridge gaps.
iii. Organizational assessments analyse factors like the economy, new environmental policies and changing workforce demographics.
iv. These assessments determine which parts of the organization require training and whether it will fill the gaps when implemented.
4.2 Task-related perspective:
i. Task assessments compile information about a particular job function.
ii. It’s an analysis that identifies key tasks, competencies and skills that are required to perform the job efficiently.
iii. It’s based on detailed job descriptions, skill analyses and inventory questionnaires which are how key training needs can be pinpointed.
iv. Enterprises undergoing restructuring or taking on a new direction can greatly benefit from this assessment.
v. It basically determines whether there are any gaps between existing competencies and those required for improved performance.
4.3 Individual assessment:
i. The individual assessment looks at particular employees to discover their level of performance.
ii. This analysis identifies the existing skills and qualifications, as well as capacity for learning. Individual assessment will show who needs training and what kind of training is needed most.
iii. It uncovers the strengths of employees and areas for competency improvement.
iv. Focus on each kind of training need before moving forward and determining the best course of action for the enterprise.
v. Each assessment will help you improve different aspects of the organization and build specific training programs to address important gaps and boost the effectiveness of the company.
Shared by: MKR
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