Introduction to Epidemiology Flashcards
What is epidemiology
the study of populations in order to determine the frequency and distribution of disease
what does epidemiology help to identify
risk factors for disease and determining optimal treatment approaches to clinical practice and preventative medicine
what are the major roles of epidemiology
monitor infectious and non-infectious diseases
study natural history
investigations of disease risk factors
health care needs assessment
developing of preventative programs
evaluation of interventions and their effectiveness
health service planning
how is epidemiology used to monitor infectious diseases
monitor flue outbreaks which helps in planning for provision of flu
what is the natural history of disease
the course a disease takes in individual people from its pathological onset until its eventual resolution or death
what do we look at when studying natural history of diseases
are they: self limiting chronic fatal unknown
what does investigations of disease factors consist of
o Looking at the causes/determinants of diseases
what does epidemiology help in health care needs assessments
o What care services are required by particular population groups
how does epidemiology help in development of preventative programs
o Based on knowing risk factors of diseases and attempting to prevent exposure to these factors
what are the 3 main types of epidemiology studies
descriptive
analytic (observational)
intervention/experimental
what is descriptive epidemiology
measures of disease frequency and it is either prevalence or incidence
what is prevalence
o Measurement of all individuals affected by the disease within a particular period of time or point in time – a cross sectional point in the population
how is prevalence calculated
o Number of affected individuals (cases) divided by the total number of persons in population and is expressed as a percentage or fraction
what is prevalence obtained from
cross sectional studies or derived from registers
what is prevalence used as
an estimate of how common a condition is within a population over a certain period of time or point in time
what is incidence
a measurement of the number of new individuals who contract a disease during a particular period of time
how is incidence calculated
o Number of new cases or events during a specific period of time in a defined population
how is incidence estimates obtained
obtained from longitudinal studies or derived from registers
how is incidence expressed
o Expressed as a fraction
do we use incidence or prevalence for chronic incurable diseases
they have low incidence but high prevalence
we usually use prevalence - allows us to help in management
do we use incidence or prevalence for short duration curable conditions
they have high incidence but low prevalence because many people get a cold each year but few people actually have a cold at any given time so prevalence is low
what are the main variables for descriptive studies
Time, place, person OR when, where, who