epidemiological investigation tools Flashcards
this is the most common investigation tools that is being used
surveillance
used by:
-regulatory agencies: ensure laws and standards are being followed
- gov agencies: keep track of health trends to protect the public
- DOH: monitor and manage disease through continuous public health surveillance
(they always do public health surveillance)
'’the continued watchfulness over the distribution and trends of incidence through the systematic ___, ___, and ___ of morbidity and mortality reports and other relevant data”
collection, consolidation and evaluation
by Langmuir, 1963
* it is a continuous report generated over a period of time
“a set of uniform criteria used to define a disease for public health”
WHO
[It uses a standard set of rules to identify diseases and provides a continuous stream of updates to help health authorities respond.]
this is used to describe the general application of the surveillance to public health problems
public health surveillance
*main goal: aid in creating controls/ programs to the particular health problems
where do we get our weekly disease reports
in the Philippines, from DOH
released yearly
public health surveillance purpose
provide and interpret data to facilitate the prevention and the control of disease
by:
- aid in decision making regarding prioritizing disease prevention activities [SET PRIORITIES]
- support the process of disease control or [PREVENTION PROGRAM]
- provide insights on etiology of newly recognized diseases of unknown etiology [UNDERSTAND NEW DISEASE]
*In simple terms, public health surveillance works like a guidebook for health experts, showing them where to focus their efforts and how to handle both familiar and new health problems.
what are the characteristics to facilitate a successful and effective surveillance
timeliness!:
reported in the right time (or specific period of time)
collect and present to the authorities
representation!:
provide an accurate reflection of the current public health concern/ issues
sensitivity:
accurately report all of those who actually HAVE the disease
specificity:
accurately report all of those who actually DO NOT HAVE the disease
! - they go hand in hand
what are the steps in conducting surveillance in public health
IDENTIFY THE HEALTH PROBLEMS
- select and prioritize health problems
- why? to properly allocate time and resources
IDENTIFY AND COLLECT DATA
ANALYZE AND INTERPRET DATA
DISSEMINATION
EVALUATION
what are the important factors to look at in order to
1. identify and prioritize the health problem
2. ability to prevent, control or treat
3. capacity of health system to implement control measures for the health problem
- HOW BIG THE PROBLEM IS
- incidence, prevalence (how common)
- severity, sequela - after effects/ accompanying condition after the disease, disabilities (how severe)
- mortality
- socioeconomic impact
- communicability
- potential for an outbreak
- public perception and concern
- international requirements - IMPACT ON SOCIETY
- preventability
- control measures and treatment - POTENTIAL TO CONTROL IT
- speed of response
- economics
availability of resources
- what surveillance of this event requires
what are some of the typical sources of data when conducting surveillance
individual persons
[Surveys asking people about symptoms, illnesses, or lifestyle habits.]
healthcare providers, facilities and records
- hospital
- physicians office
- outpatient department
- emergency department
- inpatient settings
- labs
[Hospital admission records showing cases of heart attacks or diabetes.
Lab test results confirming cases of tuberculosis or HIV.]
environmental conditions
- air
- water
- animal vectors (zoonotic)
[Air: Monitoring air pollution levels to track respiratory illnesses.
Water: Testing water supplies to detect contaminants like lead or bacteria.
Animals: Monitoring animals for diseases like bird flu, rabies, or zoonotic viruses (diseases that can spread to humans).]
administrative actions
financial transactions
- sales of goods and services
- taxation
*in case of malnutrition
[Tracking taxes and sales data can help monitor the availability and access to healthcare services, food, or medications.
For example, low sales of vaccines might signal poor vaccination coverage.
Sales data for medicines or vaccines to assess if they are reaching communities.]
legal actions
[Records of businesses fined for violating food safety regulations.
Legal cases of companies causing environmental pollution (e.g., dumping waste into rivers).]
laws and regulations
[like sanitation laws or food safety standards) help ensure public health
Monitoring compliance with smoking bans in public areas to reduce lung diseases.
Tracking enforcement of vaccination mandates for schoolchildren.]
what are the methods of collecting data
environmental monitoring
survey
notification
registeries
reanalysis or sec use of data
health data system
sources of data collection vs methods of data collection
source of data:
talks about WHERE the data comes from
methods of data:
explains HOW the data is collected
environmental monitoring examples
cities monitor air pollutants
water supplies for bacterial and chemical contaminants
animal and insect vectors
traffic and road data
occupational health data
an investigation that uses a “structured and systematic gathering of information” from a sample of “a population of interest to describe the population in quantitative terms”
survey
- convert any information int a quantifiable form (a type of variable that it is easier to manipulate)
[A survey is like asking a small group questions to understand what the larger group thinks, feels, or does, and then turning their answers into numbers to analyze.]
it is the reporting of certain diseases or other health-related conditions by a specific group, as specified by law, regulation or agreement
notification
*include reports by WHO
[like an official alert sent to health authorities when a serious disease is found, so quick action can be taken to protect the public.
For example:
WHO (World Health Organization) requires countries to report dangerous diseases like Ebola or pandemics to help control their spread globally.]
types of notification and examples
disease or hazard-specific notifications:
- communicable disease
- chemical and physical hazards in the enviro
notifications related to treatment administration
- adverse effects of drugs or medical products
- adverse effect from vaccines
notifications related to person at risk:
- elevated blood lead among adults
- “” among children
it is the reporting of certain diseases or other health-related conditions by a specific groups as specified by a law, regulation or agreement
registries
[detailed list or database of people with certain diseases, created to keep track of how common the disease is and help in making decisions about treatment and prevention.]
types:
- vital event registration
- R used in preventive medicine
- disease-specific R
- treatment R
- after treatment R
- R of persons at risk or exposed
- skills and resources R
- prospective research studies
- specific registries
registries vs notifications
Registries involve long-term, detailed tracking of cases over time.
Notifications are quick, one-time reports for urgent cases that need immediate attention.
what are the two types of reanalysis or sec use of data
pri data:
collected directly by the researcher for the purpose of that specific study
sec data:
was collected for a particular study BUT is being used by another study for a diff purpose
what does the health data systems include
electronic health records (EHR):
utilized by healthcare facilities that has the capacity to generate
however, rural health centers does not have EHR
health care utilization databases:
- hosted by: PhilHealth
what are the tools to analyze data
descriptive statistical methods:
for the analysis of the majority of surveillance data
rates and proportions:
yung dami formulas
common methods: analysis of data by time, place and person
analyze by time, place and person
time: [TABLE or GRAPH]
- characterize trends and detects changes in disease incidence
place: [MAP]
- displayed in a table or map
- rates are often calculated by adjusting differences in the size of the population of diff geographic areas
- use GIS, geographic info system = more robust analysis of data
*time and place are analyzed simultaneously = organize and present in table/ series of maps
person:
- commonly: by age and sex
for age, depend on the disease of interest, shld be mutually exclusive (certain no. shld not coincide w another range) and all-inclusive
- others: race, ethnicity, occupation
risk maps
divided into regions to make it easier to interpret and prioritize risks.
usually color-coded to visually indicate the severity of the risks.
how to interpret results
further investigation/ increases emphasis is usually done on cases when a disease or routine pattern
further investigation is initiated in single case of illness of public health importance
[Routine Pattern:
If a disease is following its usual pattern (like the number of cases stays consistent), no immediate action is needed, but sometimes, more focus is placed on certain cases to see if something new is happening.
Single Case of Public Health Importance:
If one case of illness is detected that could have a big impact on public health (e.g., a new disease or an outbreak), health authorities will start an investigation right away to understand what’s happening and prevent it from spreading.]
where should the data and interpretations be submitted to
appropriate stakeholders
- private sectors
- healthcare providers
- gov. agencies
- general public
disseminate in a timely and regular dissemination by
- surveillance reports or summary = to inform and motive
how often should the public health surveillance be evaluated
periodically
= useful public health function & meet objectives
what are the objectives of the evaluation
identify surveillance elements that shld be enhanced and improved
assess how surveillance findings affect control efforts
improve quality data and interpret
what should the contents of the surveillance evaluations must include
stakeholders
purpose, objectives and operations
usefulness
resource requirements
recommendations
