TO REVISE PUBLIC HEALTH Flashcards
PREVENTION + SCREENING
What are the Wilson + Junger criteria for screening?
CONDITION
-important
- known natural history
- identifiable latent/pre-clinical phase
THE SCREENING TEST
- suitable (sensitive, specific, inexpensive)
- acceptable
ORGANISATION AND COSTS
- facilities
- costs and benefits
- ongoing process
THE TREATMENT
- effective
- agreed policy on whom to treat
STUDY DESIGN
What are the advantages of a cross-sectional study?
- Relatively cheap + quick.
- Provide data on prevalence at a single point in time.
- Good for surveillance + public health planning.
- Large sample size.
STUDY DESIGN
What are the disadvantages of a cross-sectional study?
- Risk of reverse causality.
- Cannot measure incidence as no time reference.
- Risk of recall bias + non-response.
STUDY DESIGN
What are the advantages of a case control study?
- Quicker than cohort of intervention studies as it’s retrospective.
- Inexpensive, good for rare outcomes (e.g. cancer).
- Can investigate multiple exposures.
STUDY DESIGN
What are the disadvantages of a case control study?
- Retrospective nature only shows an association (not causation).
- Difficulty finding controls to match with cases.
- Unreliable due to recall bias.
- Prone to selection + information bias.
STUDY DESIGN
What are the advantages of a cohort study?
- Prospective so can show causation.
- Lower chance of selection + recall bias.
- Absolute, relative + attributable risks can be determined.
- Good for common + multiple outcomes.
STUDY DESIGN
What are the disadvantages of a cohort study?
- Loss to follow-up, requires a control group to establish causation.
- Takes a long time, need a large sample size.
STUDY DESIGN
What are the advantages of a randomised control trial?
- Can infer causality (gold standard).
- Randomisation allows confounding factors to be equally distributed + biases minimised (helped by blinding).
STUDY DESIGN
What are the disadvantages of a randomised control trial?
- Is it ethical to withhold a treatment that is strongly believed to be effective?
- Time consuming, expensive.
- Volunteer bias – specific inclusion/exclusion criteria may mean the study population is different from typical pts (e.g. excluding very elderly pts).
EPIDEMIOLOGY
Define bias.
A systematic deviation from the true estimation of the association between exposure + outcome.
I.e. systematic error > distortion of the true underlying association.
EPIDEMIOLOGY
What is confounding?
What is the effect of confounding on a study?
Where a factor is associated with the exposure of interest + independently influences the outcome but does not lie on the causal pathway.
- May affect the validity of a study.
EPIDEMIOLOGY
What is the Bradford-Hill criteria for assessing causality?
- Strength of association (the magnitude of the RR).
- Dose response (the higher the exposure, the higher the risk of disease).
- Consistency (similar results from different researches using various study designs).
- Temporality (does exposure precede outcome?)
- Reversibility (experiment) – removal of exposure reduces risk of disease).
- Biological plausibility (biological mechanisms explaining the link).
- Coherence (logical consistency with other information).
- Analogy (similarly with other established cause-effect relationships).
- Specificity (relationship specific to outcome of interest).
EPIDEMIOLOGY
If association is not causal, how could it be explained?
- Bias.
- Chance.
- Confounding.
- Reverse causality.
- A true causal association.
HEALTH DETERMINANTS ETC.
Define allostasis.
The stability through change, or homeostasis, of our physiological systems to adapt rapidly to change in environment.
HEALTH DETERMINANTS ETC.
Define public health.
Defined as the science + art of preventing disease, prolonging life + promoting health through organised efforts of society.
- Population perspective – thinks in terms of groups, not individuals.
HEALTH DETERMINANTS ETC.
What are the determinants of health?
PROGRESS
Place of residence
Race/ethnicity
Occupation
Gender
Religion
Education
Socioeconomic status
Social capital
HEALTH DETERMINANTS ETC.
What are the 3 domains of public health?
- Health improvement.
- Health protection.
- Improving services.
HEALTH DETERMINANTS ETC.
What are the different forms of health equity?
- Equal expenditure.
- Equal access.
- Equal utilisation.
- Equal healthcare outcome.
(All for equal need).
HEALTH DETERMINANTS ETC.
What are the 2 main factors affecting health equity.
Give an example of each.
- SPATIAL INEQUITY (geographical) – infant mortality rates high in places like Africa but healthcare spending is low in these areas (health inequality + inequity).
- SOCIAL INEQUITY (age, gender, ethnicity, socioeconomic status etc) – socioeconomic inequity as angina Sx higher in more deprived areas but coronary artery revascularisations in those with angina Sx higher in more affluent areas in Sheffield.
HEALTH DETERMINANTS ETC.
How is health equity examined?
- Supply/access/utilisation of healthcare.
- Healthcare outcomes.
- Health status.
- Resource allocation (health services or others like education, housing).
- Wider determinants of health.
HEALTH DETERMINANTS ETC.
How is health equity assessed?
- Typically assess inequality, then decide if inequitable (inequalities need to be explained + equality ≠ equitable).
- Health care systems – equity often defined in terms of equal access for equal need (NHS) but measurement usually of utilisation, health status or supply.
HEALTH PSYCHOLOGY
What is the main theory for explaining why people undertake health damaging behaviours?
Unrealistic optimism.
- Individuals continue practicing health damaging behaviours due to inaccurate perceptions of risk + susceptibility.
- They’re aware of risks but don’t think it would happen to them.
HEALTH PSYCHOLOGY
In terms of unrealistic optimism, what are a person’s perceptions of risk influenced by mainly?
- Lack of personal experiences with the problem.
- Belief that it’s preventable by personal action.
- Belief that it’s not happened by now so it’s not likely to.
- Belief that the problem is infrequent.
HEALTH PSYCHOLOGY
What other factors can influence a person’s perceptions of risk?
- Stress.
- Health beliefs.
- Cultural variability.
- Situational rationality.
HEALTH PSYCHOLOGY
What factors can affect compliance?
- Side effects of medications.
- Patient perception of risk.
- Socioeconomic status.
- Treatment for an asymptomatic condition (e.g. continuing Abx).
HEALTH PSYCHOLOGY
What is the NICE guidance on behaviour change?
- Planning interventions.
- Assessing the social context.
- Education + training.
- Individual, community + population-level interventions.
- Evaluating effectiveness + assessing cost-effectiveness.
HEALTH BELIEF MODEL
What is the Health Belief Model?
Behaviour change model that states individuals will change if they –
- PERCEIVED SUSCEPTIBILITY - Believe they are susceptible to the condition.
- SEVERITY - Believe that it has serious consequences.
- PERCEIVED BENEFITS - Believe that taking action reduces susceptibility.
- PERCEIVED BARRIERS - Believe that benefits of taking action outweigh costs.
HEALTH BELIEF MODEL
What can be added to the model to give more information about likelihood of action?
Give examples.
Cues to action.
- They can be internal or external + are not always necessary for behaviour change.
- Internal = increase pain, decrease ADLs.
- External = reminders in post, GP advice.
HEALTH BELIEF MODEL
What are the pros of this model?
- Can be applied to a wide variety of health behaviours.
- Cues to action are unique component to the model.
- Long standing model.
HEALTH BELIEF MODEL
What are the cons of this model?
- Does not differentiate between first time + repeat behaviour.
- Does not consider the influence of emotions + behaviour.
- Cues to action often missing.
- Alternative factors may predict health behaviour such as self-efficacy or outcome expectancy (whether they feel they will be healthier as a result).
THEORY OF PLANNED BEHAVIOUR
What is intention determined by in this model?
ASP
- ATTITUDE = a person’s attitude to the behaviour (I don’t think smoking is good).
- SUBJECTIVE NORMS = the perceived social pressure to undertake the behaviour (most people who are important to me want me to give up smoking).
- PERCEIVED BEHAVIOURAL CONTROL = a person’s ability to perform the behaviour (I CAN give up smoking).
THEORY OF PLANNED BEHAVIOUR
What are the 5 points to bridging the intention-behaviour gap?
PPAIR –
- PERCEIVED CONTROL (something an individual feels they are capable of doing).
- PREPATORY ACTIONS (dividing task into sub-goals increases self-efficacy + satisfaction at the point of completion).
- ANTICIPATED REGRET (reflecting on feelings once failed, related to sustained intentions).
- IMPLEMENTATION OF INTENTIONS (biggest one, “if-then” plans – if I need to take my meds in the morning then I will place them here to remind me).
- RELEVANCE TO SELF (can they relate to the behaviour).
THEORY OF PLANNED BEHAVIOUR
What are the pros of this model?
- Can be applied to a wide variety of health behaviours.
- Useful for predicting intention.
- Takes into account importance of social pressures.
THEORY OF PLANNED BEHAVIOUR
What are the cons of this model?
- Lack of temporal element + direction or causality, no sense of how long behaviour change may take.
- ‘Rational choice model’ so doesn’t take into account emotions.
- Assumes attitudes, subjective norms + perceived behavioural control can be measured.
- Relies on self-reported behaviour.
TRANSTHEORETICAL/STAGES OF CHANGE MODEL
What are the 5 stages?
PC PAM(R)
- PRECONTEMPLATION = no intention of stopping.
- CONTEMPATION - beginning to consider stopping, probably at some ill-defined time in the future.
- PREPARATION = getting ready to quit in near future, set stop date, go to Dr, throw away items (28d).
- ACTION = engaged in stopping behaviour on stop date (6m).
- MAINTENANCE = continues + engaged with abstinent behaviour (6m).
- RELAPSE can occur at any stage of the model.
TRANSTHEORETICAL/STAGES OF CHANGE MODEL
What are the pros of this model?
- Acknowledges individual stages of readiness (tailored interventions).
- Accounts for relapse/allows patient to move backwards in the stages.
- Gives temporal element (idea of timeframe/progression, albeit arbitrary).
TRANSTHEORETICAL/STAGES OF CHANGE MODEL
What are the cons of this model?
- Not all people move through every stage.
- Change might operate on a continuum rather than discreet changes.
- Does not take into account values, habits, culture, social, economic factors.
HEALTH PSYCHOLOGY
What are some other factors to consider that might influence behaviour change?
- Impact of personality traits on health behaviour (everyone responds differently).
- Assessment of risk perception.
- Impact of past behaviour/habit.
- Automatic influences on health behaviour.
- Predictors of maintenance of health behaviours.
- Social environment.
HEALTH PSYCHOLOGY
What do NICE mention about interventions for behaviour change?
- Should work in partnership with individuals, communities, organisations + populations.
- Population-level interventions may affect individuals + communities + vice versa.
HEALTH NEEDS AX
What is the essence of a HNA?
- Before a health intervention is done, a HNA must be done.
- It’s a systematic method for reviewing the health issues facing a population, leading to agreed priorities + resource allocation that will improve health + reduce inequalities.
HEALTH NEEDS AX
What is the planning cycle in a HNA and how is this relevant to Doctors?
HEALTH NEEDS AX
Define need.
ability to benefit from an intervention.
HEALTH NEEDS AX
What are the 4 sociological perspectives of need?
FENC
- Felt need = individual perceptions of variation from normal health.
- Expressed need = individual seeks help to overcome variation in normal health (demand).
- Normative need = professional defines intervention appropriate for the expressed need.
- Comparative need = comparison between severity, range of interventions + cost.
HEALTH NEEDS AX
What are the 3 types of HNA?
- Epidemiological.
- Comparative.
- Corporate.
HEALTH NEEDS AX
Epidemiological HNA: what is the methodology?
- Defines the problem.
- Size of problem (incidence/prevalence).
- Services available (prevention, treatment, care).
- Evidence base (effectiveness + cost-effectiveness).
- Models of care (including quality + outcome measures).
- Existing services (unmet need, services not needed).
- Recommendations.
HEALTH NEEDS AX
Epidemiological HNA: what are the pros?
- Uses existing data.
- Provides data on disease incidence, mortality, morbidity.
- Can evaluate services by trends over time.
HEALTH NEEDS AX
Epidemiological HNA: what are the cons?
- Required data may not be available + variable data quality.
- Evidence base may be inadequate.
- Does not consider felt needs of people affected.
HEALTH NEEDS AX
Comparative HNA: what are the pros?
- Quick + cheap if data available.
- Indicates whether health or services provision is better/worse than comparable areas (gives a measure of relative performance).
HEALTH NEEDS AX
Comparative HNA: what are the cons?
- Data may not be available + variable data quality.
- May be difficult to find a comparable population.
- May not yield what the most appropriate level (e.g. of provision or utilisation) should be.
HEALTH NEEDS AX
Corporate HNA: what are the pros?
- Based on the felt + expressed needs of the population in question.
- Recognises the detailed knowledge + experience of those working within the population.
- Takes into account a wide range of views.
HEALTH NEEDS AX
Corporate HNA: what are the cons?
- Difficult to distinguish need from demand.
- Groups may have vested interests + may be influenced by political agendas.
- Dominant personalities may have undue influence.
HEALTH NEEDS AX
Give an example of a service that is demanded but not needed or supplied?
Cosmetic surgery.
EVALUATION OF SERVICES
What is meant by evaluation?
Evaluation is the assessment of whether a service achieves its objectives.
- Process that attempts to determine as systematically + objectively as possible the relevance, effectiveness + impact of activities in the light of their objectives.
EVALUATION OF SERVICES
What is the Donabedian framework and what do each headings mean?
- Structure – what is there.
- Process – what is done.
[Output sometimes included or classified under process]. - Outcome – classification of health outcomes.
EVALUATION OF SERVICES
Give some structure examples.
- Buildings = locations where screening is provided.
- Staff = number of vascular surgeons/1000 population.
- Equipment = number of ICU beds/1000 population.
EVALUATION OF SERVICES
Give some process examples.
- Number of patients seen in A&E.
- Number of operations performed (may be expressed as a rate).
EVALUATION OF SERVICES
Give some outcome examples.
5Ds:
- Death, disease, disability, discomfort, dissatisfaction.
Also:
- Mortality (e.g. 30-day mortality rate).
- Morbidity (e.g. complication rate).
- QOL/patient reported outcome measures (PROMS).
- Patient satisfaction.
EVALUATION OF SERVICES
Give some examples of PROMs used in outcome.
- Oxford hip score.
- Oxford knee score.
- Aberdeen varicose vein questionnaire.
- EQ-5D.
EVALUATION OF SERVICES
What are some issues with health outcome?
- Link (cause + effect) between health service provided + health outcome may be difficult to establish as many other factors may be involved (e.g. case-mix, severity, other confounding factors).
- Time lag between service provided + outcome may be long (e.g. healthy eating intervention in children + T2DM incidence in adults).
- Large sample sizes may be needed to detect statistically significant effects.
- Data may not be available or may be issues with data quality.
EVALUATION OF SERVICES
When considering data quality what should be considered?
CART
- Completeness.
- Accuracy.
- Relevance.
- Timeliness.
EVALUATION OF SERVICES
One aspect of evaluation is the quality of health services. What can be used when assessing this?
Maxwell’s Dimensions of Quality (3As + 3Es) –
- ACCEPTABILITY (how acceptable is the service to the people needing it?)
- ACCESSABILITY (is the service provided?)
- APPROPRIATENESS (right treatment given to right people at right time?)
- EFFECTIVENESS (does the intervention/service produce the desired effect?)
- EFFICIENCY (is the output maximised for a given input or is the input minimised for a given level of output?)
- EQUITY (are patients being treated fairly?)