Block 8

Question 1

Define medicalisation

Answer 1

The process by which human conditions become defined and treated as medical conditions e.g. pregnancy, childbirth, death, ageing and sexual desire

Question 2

Describe the difference between sex and gender

Answer 2

Sex is the biological differences between male and female. Whereas, gender is the social differences (roles/behaviours) between men and women, it is a social construct.

Question 3

True or false - sexual minorities have a decreased risk of depression, anxiety, suicide and substance abuse

Answer 3

False - they have an increased risk

Question 4

What are reasons for implementing guidelines?

Answer 4

Increase equity (reduce postcode lottery)
Evidence based medicine - optimise quality and safety of healthcare

Question 5

Define and interpret a 95% confidence interval

Answer 5

95% probability that the true effect lies within this bracket
If the CI includes 1 the difference between the control and intervention is not statistically significant
95% certain that the range of values contain the true mean of the population

Question 6

How are guidelines made?

Answer 6

They draw from the results of many systematic reviews
Sometimes expert opinion is used
Cost-benefit and patient preference also taken into consideration

Question 7

What are clinical protocols?

Answer 7

Simpler and more concise form or guideline adapted to clinical situations

Question 8

Define opportunity cost

Answer 8

The explicit decision to devote resource to one patient is inevitably an implicit decision to deny them to someone else

Question 9

How is the NHS rationed?

Answer 9

It is rationed by clinical need, not the ability to pay

Question 10

List examples of determinates of food choices

Answer 10

Time
Accessibility
Affordability

Question 11

Define food insecurity and how it is managed

Answer 11

Limited or uncertain access to adequate food

Managed via food banks

Question 12

Why do overweight and obese patients get poorer access to healthcare?

Answer 12

Diagnostic overshadowing

Question 13

Describe the difference between comorbidity and multi-morbidity

Answer 13

Comorbidity is the coexistence of other conditions within an index condition that is the focus of attention. Multi-morbidity is the coexistence of several conditions, where non are considered and index condition, they have 2+ long term conditions.

Question 14

What are prognostic factors?

Answer 14

Factors used to predict patient outcomes. They can be demographic, disease-specific or co-morbid.

Question 15

Define risk factors

Answer 15

Factors associated with the development of disease

Question 16

Define falsifiability

Answer 16

Can’t prove a theory true but can prove a theory false

Question 17

Name the components of the Bradford Hill Criteria

Answer 17

Strength of association 
Temporal association 
Consistency 
Theoretical plausibility 
Coherence 
Specificity 
Dose-response relationship
Experimental evidence 
Analogy