General Practice and Public Health Flashcards
What are the 5 level’s of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs?
- Physiological needs.
- Safety needs.
- Love and belonging.
- Esteem.
- Self-actualisation.
What is epigenetics?
The study of how genes interact with the environment. Changes in organisms caused by modification of gene expression rather than alteration of the genetic code itself.
What is allostasis?
The process of achieving stability, or homeostasis, through physiological or behavioural change.
What is allostatic load?
The wear and tear on the body that accumulates as an individual is exposed to repeated or chronic stress. The price we pay for allostasis.
Define domestic abuse.
Incidents of controlling, coercive, threatening behaviour, violence or abuse between those aged 16+ who are, or have been, intimate partners or family members regardless of gender or sexuality.
Give 3 examples of domestic abuse.
- Emotional abuse.
- Physical abuse.
- Financial abuse.
- Sexual abuse.
- Psychological abuse.
How can domestic abuse impact on health?
- Traumatic injuries following assault e.g. fractures, miscarriage.
- Somatic problems or chronic illness e.g. chronic pain, headaches.
- Psychological problems e.g. PTSD, depression, anxiety.
Give 3 potential indications of domestic abuse.
- Unwitnessed by anyone else.
- Repeat attendances to GP or A+E.
- Delay in seeking help.
- Multiple minor injuries.
What assessment tool can be used to determine someones risk of domestic abuse?
The DASH assessment.
What action would you take if someone was at high risk of domestic abuse?
Refer to MARAC or IDVAS.
What is Public Health?
The science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting health through organised efforts of society.
Define epidemiology.
The study of the frequency, distribution and determinants of diseases and health-related states in populations in order to prevent and control disease.
Define incidence.
The rate at which new diseases occur in a population in a certain time period.
Define prevalence.
The proportion of a population found to have a disease at a point in time.
What is person-time a measure of?
Person-time is a measure of risk. It is the sum of each individual’s time at risk ie. the length of time they were followed up in the study. It is the denominator in incidence rate calculations.
What value is used as the denominator in incidence rate calculations?
Person-time.
What is relative risk?
The risk in one category relative to another, for example, the ratio of risk of disease in the exposed to the risk in the unexposed. It tells us about the strength of association between a risk factor and a disease.
What calculation can be used to work out relative risk?
Incidence in exposed ÷ incidence in unexposed.
Define attributable risk.
The rate of disease in the exposed that may be attributed to the exposure. It tells us about the size of effect in absoloute terms.
How can you calculate attributable risk?
Incidence in the exposed - incidence in the unexposed.
What is NNT?
Number needed to treat is the number of patients that need to be treated in order to have an impact on one person.
How can you calculate NNT?
1 / absoloute risk reduction.
Define bias.
A systematic deviations from the true estimation of the association between exposure and outcome.
Name 2 forms of bias.
- Selection bias.
2. Information bias.
What is selection bias?
The people who choose to participate in screening programmes may be different from those who don’t. Proper randomisation is not achieved.
What is information bias?
Information or measurement bias can be due to observer, participant or instrument error.
What is length-time bias?
Diseases with a longer period of presentation are more likely to be detected by screening than ones with a shorter time of presentation.
What is lead-time bias?
Screening identifies diseases earlier and so gives the impression that survival is prolonged but in reality survival time is unchanged.
Define confounding.
Confounders are associated with exposure and outcome but are not on the causal path from exposure to disease.
Confounders may affect the validity of a study.
What is the Bradford Hill criteria for causation?
- Consistency.
- Biological plausibility.
- Temporality - cause before disease.
- Dose response.
- Reversibility.
- Strength of association.
Name 3 types of study design.
- Ecological.
- Cross-sectional.
- Case-control.
- Cohort.
- RCT.
Which type of study uses routinely collected population level date to show trends and to generate hypotheses?
An ecological study.
Which type of study looks at the population at a point in time?
A cross-sectional or prevalence study.
Which type of study compares people with a disease to those without a disease for age, sex, habits, class etc?
A case-control study. These are retrospective.
Which type of study follows a population over time to see if they’re exposed to the agent in question and if they develop the disease?
A cohort or incidence study. These are prospective.
What is a RCT?
Where a population is randomised to either an interventional or a control group. Often these are blind or double-blind trials.
Which type of study is also known as an incidence study?
A cohort study - follows a population over time to see if they’re exposed to the agent in question and if they develop the disease.
Which type of study is also known as a prevalence study?
A cross-sectional study. It looks at the population at point in time.
Define primary prevention.
Preventing a disease/condition from occurring in the first place. Eliminating RF’s that contribute to the disease.
Give an example of a primary prevention method.
Immunisations.
Define secondary prevention.
Detecting a disease as soon as possible in order to alter its course and to improve health outcomes.
Give an example of secondary prevention.
Screening e.g. cervical smears.
Define tertiary prevention.
Trying to slow down disease progression, avoiding complications and helping people to manage their illness effectively.
Give an example of tertiary prevention.
Diabetes management - diet advice, exercise programmes, self-monitoring, annual foot checks etc.
What is the population approach to prevention? Give an example.
Preventative measures delivered on a population wide basis e.g. dietary salt reduction.
What is the high risk approach to prevention? Give an example.
Identifying individuals above a chosen cut-off and treating them. E.g. treating those with high cholesterol to avoid heart disease.
Describe the prevention paradox.
A preventative measure that brings much benefit to the population often offers little to each participating individual.
Define screening.
Identifying seemingly healthy individuals who may be at increased risk of disease.
Give 4 different types of screening.
- Population based.
- Opportunistic.
- Screening for communicable diseases.
- Pre-employment and occupational.
What is the Wilson and Jungner criteria for screening?
- The condition being screened for should be an important health problem.
- The natural history of the condition should be understood.
- There should be a detectable early stage.
- There should be a treatment available.
- Facilities for diagnosis and treatment need to be available.
- There should be a suitable test.
- The test should be acceptable to the population. 8. There should be an agreed policy on whom to treat.
- The costs of screening must be balanced against benefits.
- Screening should be a continuous process, not just a one off.
Define sensitivity.
The proportion of people with the disease who are correctly identified (a/a+c).
Define specificity.
The proportion of people without the disease who are correctly excluded by the screening test; how well a test detects those without a disease (d/b+d).
Define PPV.
The proportion of people with a positive test result who actually have the disease (a/a+b).
Define NPV.
The proportion of people with a negative test result who do not have the disease (d/c+d).
What are the 4 main determinants of health?
- Lifestyle.
- Access to healthcare.
- Genes.
- Environment.
Define the following:
a) Equity.
b) Equality.
a) Equity - what is fair and just.
b) Equality - equal shares.
Define horizontal equity.
Equal treatment for equal need.
Define vertical equity.
Unequal treatment for unequal need e.g. someone with a common cold would need a different treatment to someone with pneumonia.
Give 2 factors that can affect equity.
- Spatial factors - geographical.
2. Social factors - age, gender, class, ethnicity.
What are the 3 domains of public health?
- Health promotion.
- Health protection.
- Improving health services.
Domains of public health: give examples of health promotion.
Health promotion looks at interventions e.g. immunizations, smoking cessation, screening.
Domains of public health: give examples of health protection.
Putting measures in place to control infectious diseases.
Domains of public health: what are the aims of health service improvements?
To ensure that there is delivery of organised, safe and high quality services.
What is health psychology?
Health psychology emphasizes the role psychological factors in the cause, progression and consequences of health and illness. It aims to put theory into practice by promoting healthy behaviors and preventing illness.
Give 3 types of health behaviour.
- Health behaviour.
- Illness behaviour.
- Sick role behaviour.
Define health behaviour.
Health behaviour is aimed at preventing disease e.g. eating healthily.
Define illness behaviour.
Illness behaviour is aimed at seeking remedy e.g. going to the Dr’s.
Define sick role behaviour.
Sick role behaviour is activity aimed at getting better e.g. taking medications.
What are health damaging behaviours?
Health damaging behaviours are often related to mortality e.g. smoking, alcohol, high risk sexual behaviours.
What are health promoting behaviours?
Behaviours that seek and maintain health e.g. exercise, eating healthily, having vaccines.
What is a meta-analysis?
A statistical technique where you pool all the results of the available evidence and look at effect.
Define compliance.
The extent to which a patients behavior coincides with medical advice. It is professionally focused and assumes that the doctor knows best.
Give 3 factors that can effect compliance.
- Side effects of medications.
- Patient perception of risk.
- If the patient is asymptomatic.
- Socioeconomic status.
What are population level interventions?
Enabling people to exert control over the determinants of health, thereby improving health.
Give 3 examples of population level interventions.
- Change 4 life.
- Movember.
- Screening e.g. cervical smear.
- Immunisations e.g. MMR.
What is unrealistic optimism?
Unrealistic optimism is when individuals continue to practice health damaging behaviour due to inaccurate perceptions of risk and susceptibility.
Give 3 factors that contribute to unrealistic optimism e.g. factors that can influence someones perception of risk.
- Lack of personal experience with a problem.
- Belief that it may be preventable by personal action.
- Belief that if not happened now, its not likely to.
- Belief that the problem is infrequent.
- Other reasons: health beliefs, situational rationality, cultural variability, socioeconomic factors, stress, age.
Why is it important to understand a patient’s perception of risk?
A patient’s perception of risk can impact on medication adherence and keeping appointments etc.
Briefly describe the NICE guidance on behaviour change.
- Plan interventions.
- Assess social context.
- Educate and train.
- Look at individual level and community level interventions.
- Evaluate effectiveness and assess cost effectiveness.
What is the single greatest cause of illness and premature death in the UK?
Smoking.
What 3 diseases are smoking related deaths normally due to?
- Cancers.
- COPD.
- CHD.
When does smoking prevalence peak?
In the mid 20’s.
What is the role of NCSCT?
NCSCT supports the delivery of effective evidence-based tobacco control programmes and smoking cessation interventions provided by local services.
What is ‘Health Needs Assessment’?
A systematic method for reviewing the health issues facing a population, leading to agreed priorities and resource allocation that will improve health and reduce inequalities.
Health Needs Assessment: define need.
The ability to benefit from an intervention.
Health Needs Assessment: briefly describe the planning cycle.
Needs assessment -> planning -> implementation -> evaluation -> needs assessment etc…
What is felt need?
Individual perceptions of variation from normal health.
What is expressed need?
When an individual seeks help to overcome variation in normal health.
What is normative need?
When a professional defines interventions that are appropriate for expressed need.
What is comparative need?
Comparison between severity, range of interventions and cost.
Health needs assessment: define demand.
What people ask for.
Health needs assessment: define supply.
What is provided.
Describe the difference between health need and health care need.
Health need: need for health.
Health care need: need for health care. It is more specific and looks at someone’s ability to benefit from health care.
Name 3 different types of health needs assessment.
- Epidemiological.
- Comparative.
- Corporate.
Give 3 negative points for epidemiological health needs assessments.
- Required date may not be available.
- Variable data quality.
- Ignores felt needs.
Briefly describe a comparative health needs assessment.
Compares services received by one population with other populations.
Give 3 negative points for comparative health needs assessments.
- Required date may not be available.
- Variable data quality.
- It is hard to find comparable populations.
Who might be involved with corporate health needs assessment?
- Politicians.
- Press.
- Providers.
- Professionals.
- Patients.
Give 3 negative points for corporate health needs assessments.
- Difficult to distinguish need from demand.
- Groups may have vested interests.
- May be influenced by political agendas.
Give one health related example of something that you consider is demanded but not needed or supplied.
Cosmetic surgery.
Smoking cessation: give 3 symptoms of withdrawal.
- Difficulty concentrating.
- Increased appetite.
- Irritability.
Define cardiac failure.
A complex clinical syndrome of signs/symptoms that suggest the efficiency of the heart as a pump is impaired. The heart is unable to deliver blood at a rate that meets the metabolic demands of the body.
What are the 3 main types of cardiac failure and what causes them?
- LVSD - often due to IHD.
- RVSD - often secondary to LVSD.
- Diastolic HF.
Briefly explain the pathophysiology of cardiac failure.
When the heart fails, compensatory mechanisms attempt to maintain CO. As HF progresses, these mechanisms are exhausted and become pathophysiological.
- Sympathetic activation.
- RAAS activation.
- Natriuretic peptide release.
- Ventricular hypertrophy.
What are the 3 cardinal symptoms of cardiac failure?
- SOB.
- Fatigue.
- Peripheral oedema.
Give 3 signs of cardiac failure.
- Tachycardia.
- Raised JVP.
- Displaced apex beat.
- Added heart sounds.
What investigations may you want to do to determine whether someone has cardiac failure?
- BNP levels.
- CXR.
- Echo.
- ECG.
Briefly describe the NYHA classification for cardiac failure.
- Class 1: no limitation, asymptomatic.
- Class 2: slight limitation, mild HF.
- Class 3: marked limitation, moderate HF.
- Class 4: inability to carry out physical activity without discomfort, severe HF.
Describe the management of HF.
- Lifestyle modification.
- Main pharmacological benefits are from vasodilator therapy not LV stimulants:
- 1st line: ACEi, beta blockers.
- 2nd line: aldosterone antagonists, ARB.
- Diuretics can help with symptom relief.
- Nitrates and NEP inhibitors can be used too. - Surgery: valve replacement and LV remodelling.
What must you monitor in a patient taking ACEi e.g. Ramipril?
You must monitor kidney function e.g. U&E’s and eGFR.
What should you monitor in a patient taking beta blockers e.g. metoprolol?
HR and BP.
Give an example of an aldosterone antagonist.
Spironolactone.