Epidemiology Flashcards
What does epidemiology do
describes, quantifies, and postulates causal mechanisms for disease in populations and develops methods for the control of diseases
What is epidemiology used for
to identify trends and patterns in disease occurrence
What are the constants in epidemiology
person, place, and time
What are the constants important for
Contact tracing
What did John Snow do
spot plotting, worked during cholera outbreak
What did Florence Nightingale do
detained records on morbidity during Crimean war, one of the first systematic descriptive studies of disease patterns in populations, used statistics as evidence to gain attention
Epidemiological triad/triangle
host, agent, enviornment
When is the epidemiological triad/triangle used
during assessment, how does each piece relate to the disease
Agent
the cause of condition
Host
system affected by condition
Environment
what is contributing to a condition
Concept of causality
a stimulus or action that results in an effect or outcome
What does the concept of causality determine
if a relationship exists between the risk factor and the health effect, is there a statistical relationship
What does the web of causation determine
what interventions could impact the development of a disease and the factors
Risk
the probability that a disease/unfavorable health condition will develop
What do epidemiologists study
populations at risk
Relative risk rate
incidence in an exposed group/incidence rate in an unexposed group
Why is understanding risk factors important
it is essential for the development of effective intervention
What are the four stages of disease development
susceptibility, subclinical disease, clinical disease, resolution
Stage 1: susceptibility
the disease is not present, no exposure, but host and environment are at risk
What prevention is used in the susceptibility stage
primary prevention
Stage 2: subclinical disease
individual is exposed but asymptomatic
What prevention is used in the subclinical disease stage
primary and secondary prevention
Stage 3: clinical disease
signs and symptoms are present, diagnosis may occur
What prevention is used in the clinical disease stage
Secondary prevention
Stage 4: resolution
depending on severity, conclude with a return to health or residual/chronic disease with some limitations, or death
What prevention is used in the resolution stage
tertiary prevention
Prevalence
all of the people with a particular health condition existing in a given population at a given time, the number of people with an illness at one time
Prevalence rate
describes a situation at a specific point in time
Incidence
all new cases of a disease or health condition appearing during a given time
