Overview of Epi Flashcards
epidemiology
a public health basic science which studies the distribution and determinants of health related states or events in specific populations to control disease and illness and promote health
6 objectives in epidemiology
- identify patterns/trends
- determine extent
- study natural course
- identify cause of/risk factors
- evaluate effectiveness of measures
- assist in developing public health policy
epidemiology assumptions
- disease is not random
- identify associations/causations + preventative factors
- making comparisons
John Snow
father of epidemiology, traced back the cause of cholera from the broad street pump.
distribution of disease
this looks at the frequencies and patterns of disease occurrences. answers the questions: WHO, WHEN, WHERE. (descriptive)
determinants of disease
factors of exposure/risk, causes of disease, modes of transmission, social/environmental elements. WHY, HOW. (analytic)
6 core functions of epidemiology
- public health surveillance
- field investigation
- analytic studies
- evaluation
- linkages
- policy development
public health surveillance
purpose: portray ongoing patterns of disease occurrence, so investigations, control and prevention measures can be developed and applied. data management and interpretation
field investigation
purpose: determine sources/vehicles of disease to learn more about the natural history, clinical spectrum, descriptive epi, and risk factors of a disease
analytic studies
purpose: advance the information generated by descriptive epi techniques. use of a comparison group.
evaluation
purpose: systematically and objectively determine relevance, effectiveness, efficiency and impact of activities
policy development
purpose: provide input, recommendations regarding disease control and prevention strategies, reportable disease regulations and health care policy.
