Lectures 1-2 Overview Of Epidemiology Flashcards
What is the corny version of difference between epidemiology and Healthcare
Healthcare impacts one life at a time; Epidemiology can impact millions of lives at a time
Who is considered the father of epidemiology?
John Snow - Don’t remember a ton about him, but he was that water pump guy
Define Epidemiology
(And capitalize the Important Words)
A public health discipline Basic Science which studies the Distribution and Determinants of disease in Populations to control disease and illness, and to promote health.
How is epidemiology divided into sub-specialties?
Who are potential employers of epidemiologists?
Generally divided by Disease, Exposure, Population, or some combo of those.
Employers can include local, state, Territorial / National public health
- Government
- Academia
- Research
- Industry
For basic science, clinical science, and public health, List:
- What/Who is studied
- Research Goals
- Examples
note: Public health answers are most important ones
- (Cells/tissues/biochemical processes), (Sick Patients), Populations or Communities
- (Understanding Disease Mechanisms/Processes), (Improving Diagnosis and Treatment), (Prevention of Disease and Promotion of Health)
- (Pharmacology/Microbiology/Biochem), (MDs, DOs), (Epidemiology, Health policy and management, and biostatistics)
For a Physician and Epidemiologist*, list where they would get:
- Source of their data
- Assessment
- Hypothesis Testing
- Action
- (History and Physical Exam), (Surveillance and Descriptive Epidemiology)
- (Differential diagnostic), (Inference)
- (Diagnostic Studies), (Analytic Epidemiology)
- (Treatments), (Community Intervention and Policy)
What are the 7 objectives of epidemiology?
- Identify Disease Patterns and Trends over time,
- Determine the extant of the disease
- Identify Causes, Risk Factors, and Those At Risk
- Study Natural Course of Disease
- Evaluate effective measures for reducing/treating/preventing
- Assist in developing public health policies for public health
- All of the above IN POPULATIONS
What are the 3 Major Assumptions of Epidemiology?
- Disease Occurrence is never truly random
- Systemic Investigations can help identify Associations!! and causal/preventative factors of change
- Making comparisons is the cornerstone of investigative disease assessment
What two things are being examined when dealing with the Distribution of a Disease?
What are the 3 W’s of Descriptive Epidemiology
- Frequency of Disease Occurrence - Not just count#s, but counts in relation to the size of the population and a comparison between populations
- Pattern of Disease Occurring - Encompasses person, place, and time
- Who/When/Where?
What sort of things are looked for in evaluating the Determinants of a Disease
What are the two “W’s” of Analytical Epidemiology?
- Factors of Susceptibility, Exposure, and Risk
- Etiology and cause of a disease
- Mode of Transmission
- Social/Environmental/Biological Elements that determine the occurrence and presence of a disease.
- ASSOCIATION VS. CAUSATION (not the same things)
- Why?/How?
What are the 6 Core Functions of Epidemiology?
- Public Health Surveillance
- Field Investigation
- Analytic Studies
- Evaluation
- Linkage
- Policy Development
What is the purpose of public health surveillance? Give some examples and key skills
- Portray ongoing patterns of disease occurrence, so investigations, control and prevention measures can be developed and applied
- Examples include registries for reportable diseases/morbidity/births
- Most important skill is DATA INTERPRETATION, and also designing and using collection instruments, data management and reporting
Describe the purpose and examples of field investigation
Purpose: Determine source(s) of disease; to learn more about the natural history, clinical spectrum, descriptive epidemiology (first 3 W’s) and risk factors of a disease (before determining what interventions may be appropriate)
- Examples include determining a food source as the source of an epidemic outbreak
Describe the Purpose and Skills required for Analytical Studies
Purpose: Advance the information (hypotheses) generated by descriptive epidemiology techniques
- Hallmark of analytic studies is use of a comparison group
- Key skills: Design, conduct, analysis, interpretation and communication of research study data and findings
Describe the purpose of Evaluation?
Purpose: Systematically and objectively determine relevance, effectiveness, efficiency and impact of activities
