The Use of Data Flashcards
Why is data so important in patient-centred care?
knowledge of data and how to present it to patients is a key skill in a world where the management of a patient is now centred around the patient, with the patient understanding what is happening to them and being involved in making decisions.
Why is data important in longitudinal care?
To identify deviation from a patient’s “normal”
Is GP a filter for hospital medicine?
No. There is a complex interaction between the two with patients and communication moving back and forth
What is the symptom ice berg?
Patients will often only report a very small proportion of symptoms they have been experiencing (the tip of the iceberg)
What is the difference between disease and illness?
Disease is the bio-medical perspective (signs, symptoms, diagnosis)
Illness is the patient’s perspective (ICE, experience)
What are some medical factors which may affect uptake of care?
New symptoms, visible symptoms, increasing severity, duration
What are some non-medical factors which may affect the uptake of care?
Crisis Peer pressure Beliefs Expectations Economic Psychological Environmental Cultural Ethnicity Age Gender
What are the 3 main aims of epidemiology?
Description
Explanation
Disease control
What is the purpose of epidemiology?
It compares groups in order to detect differences pointing to aetiological clues, scope for prevention
Identification of high risk groups
What incidence and prevalence may a minor illness have?
High incidence
Low prevalence
What incidence may a chronic illness have?
Low incidence
High prevalence
What is relative risk?
Strength of an association between a suspected risk factor and the disease
What is the equation for relative risk (RR)?
Incidence of disease in exposed group/incidence of disease in unexposed group
What are some sources of epidemiological data?
Mortality data Stats from different specialities Social security stats Drug misuse databases NHS expenditure data
What is health literacy?
Health literacy is about people having the knowledge, skills, understanding and confidence to use health information, to be active partners in their care, and to navigate health and social care systems.
What is CHA2DS2-VASc used for?
Predicting risk of stroke
Name a set of guidelines that help social care professionals and patients understand medical data?
SIGN
What is the purpose of a descriptive study?
Describe the amount and distribution of a disease in a given population
Does not provide conclusions about causation
What factors do cross-sectional studies cover?
Disease frequency
Survey
Prevalence study
Observations are made at a single point in time
What do case control studies do?
Compare two groups of people (affected and unaffected)
Individuals are assessed for exposure to risk factors and differences/averages calculated
What is a cohort study?
Baseline data on exposure are collected from a group of people who do not have the disease under study.
The group is then followed through time until a sufficient number have developed the disease to allow analysis.
What are trials used for?
Test ideas about aetiology or evaluate interventions
What are some important factors to consider when interpreting results of studies?
Standardising results
Standardising mortality rates
Data quality
What is bias?
Any trend in the collection, analysis, interpretation, publication or review of data that can lead to conclusions that are systematically different from the truth
What are some types of bias?
Selection Information Follow up Systematic error Publication
What is a confounding factor?
A factor which is associated independently with both the disease and with the exposure and so distorts the relationship
Commonly age sex or social class
How do we deal with confounding variables?
Randomisation
What are the criteria for causality?
Strength of association Consistency Specificity Temporality Biological gradient Plausibility Coherence Analogy Experiment
