The Use of Data

Question 1

Why is data so important in patient-centred care?

Answer 1

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.

Question 2

Why is data important in longitudinal care?

Answer 2

To identify deviation from a patient’s “normal”

Question 3

Is GP a filter for hospital medicine?

Answer 3

No. There is a complex interaction between the two with patients and communication moving back and forth

Question 4

What is the symptom ice berg?

Answer 4

Patients will often only report a very small proportion of symptoms they have been experiencing (the tip of the iceberg)

Question 5

What is the difference between disease and illness?

Answer 5

Disease is the bio-medical perspective (signs, symptoms, diagnosis)
Illness is the patient’s perspective (ICE, experience)

Question 6

What are some medical factors which may affect uptake of care?

Answer 6

New symptoms, visible symptoms, increasing severity, duration

Question 7

What are some non-medical factors which may affect the uptake of care?

Answer 7

Crisis
Peer pressure
Beliefs
Expectations
Economic
Psychological
Environmental
Cultural
Ethnicity
Age
Gender

Question 8

What are the 3 main aims of epidemiology?

Answer 8

Description
Explanation
Disease control

Question 9

What is the purpose of epidemiology?

Answer 9

It compares groups in order to detect differences pointing to aetiological clues, scope for prevention
Identification of high risk groups

Question 10

What incidence and prevalence may a minor illness have?

Answer 10

High incidence

Low prevalence

Question 11

What incidence may a chronic illness have?

Answer 11

Low incidence

High prevalence

Question 12

What is relative risk?

Answer 12

Strength of an association between a suspected risk factor and the disease

Question 13

What is the equation for relative risk (RR)?

Answer 13

Incidence of disease in exposed group/incidence of disease in unexposed group

Question 14

What are some sources of epidemiological data?

Answer 14

Mortality data
Stats from different specialities
Social security stats
Drug misuse databases
NHS expenditure data

Question 15

What is health literacy?

Answer 15

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.

Question 16

What is CHA2DS2-VASc used for?

Answer 16

Predicting risk of stroke

Question 17

Name a set of guidelines that help social care professionals and patients understand medical data?

Answer 17

SIGN

Question 18

What is the purpose of a descriptive study?

Answer 18

Describe the amount and distribution of a disease in a given population
Does not provide conclusions about causation

Question 19

What factors do cross-sectional studies cover?

Answer 19

Disease frequency
Survey
Prevalence study

Observations are made at a single point in time

Question 20

What do case control studies do?

Answer 20

Compare two groups of people (affected and unaffected)

Individuals are assessed for exposure to risk factors and differences/averages calculated

Question 21

What is a cohort study?

Answer 21

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.

Question 22

What are trials used for?

Answer 22

Test ideas about aetiology or evaluate interventions

Question 23

What are some important factors to consider when interpreting results of studies?

Answer 23

Standardising results
Standardising mortality rates
Data quality

Question 24

What is bias?

Answer 24

Any trend in the collection, analysis, interpretation, publication or review of data that can lead to conclusions that are systematically different from the truth

Question 25

What are some types of bias?

Answer 25

Selection
Information
Follow up
Systematic error
Publication

Question 26

What is a confounding factor?

Answer 26

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

Question 27

How do we deal with confounding variables?

Answer 27

Randomisation

Question 28

What are the criteria for causality?

Answer 28

Strength of association
Consistency
Specificity
Temporality
Biological gradient
Plausibility
Coherence
Analogy
Experiment