overview of the discipline of epidemiology Flashcards
who is John Snow
Father of epidemiology. Prevention of Cholera
define epidemiology
a public health-discipline basic science which studies the distribution an determinants of disease in populations to control disease and illness and promote health
Who is studied in basic science vs. clinical science vs. public health
basic: cells, tissues and biochem process
clinical: sick patients
public: population or communities
what are the research goals in basic science v.s clinical sciences vs. public health
basic: understanding disease mechanisms and effects of treatments
clinical: improving diagnosis and treatment of disease
public: prevention of disease and promotion of health in the population
what is the source of data physician vs epidemiologist
physician: history and physician exam
epi: surveillance and descriptive epidemiology
what is the assessment in physician vs epidemiologist
physician: differential diagnosis
epi: inference
what 3 aspects encompass the patterns of disease occurrences
person, place, time
what is the purpose of public health surveillance
to portray the ongoing patterns of disease occurrence so that investigation, control, and prevention measures can be developed and applied
what is the purpose of field investigation
to determine the source of disease or to simply learn more about the natural history, clinical spectrum, descriptive epidemiology, and risk factors of a disease
what is the purpose of analytic studies
to advance the information generated by descriptive epidemiology techniques
what is the purpose of evaluation
to determine the relevance, effectiveness, efficiency and impact of activities with respect to established goals
what is the purpose of policy development
to provide input, testimony, and recommendations regarding disease control and prevention strategies, reportable disease regulations and health-care policy
