Year 2 Health and Society 3 2 Flashcards
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What is evidence-based decision making (EBDM)?
Process for identifying and using most up-to-date (and relevant) evidence to inform decisions for individual patient problems
What does EBDM involve? (4 key aspects)
- Patient preferences- Available resources, - Research evidence, - Clinical expertise
Why is decision making in medicine important?
- Doctors make decisions constantly, - The decisions have effects on patients, families, and society, - Having an understanding of decision making, and the role of evidence, can help improve medical practice
Why do we need EBDM?
- Limited time to read, - Inadequacy of ‘traditional’ sources of information - textbooks are often out of date, - Disparity between diagnostic skills/clinical judgement (which increase over time) and up-to-date knowledge/clinical performance (which decrease)
What are the different types of research studies and when are they each appropriate? (6 main types)
- Cohort studies - prognosis, cause, - Case-control studies - cause, - Randomised controlled trials - treatment interventions, benefit and harm, cost effectiveness, - Qualitative approaches - patients and/or practitioners perspectives, - Diagnostic and screening studies - identification, - Systematic reviews - summary of evidence for a specific question
What is the process of EBDM? (5 steps)
- Converting the need for information into an answerable question, 2. Identifying the best evidence to answer that question, 3. Critically appraising the evidence for its validity, impact, and applicability, 4. Integrating the critical appraisal with clinical expertise and the patient’s unique circumstances, 5. Evaluating our effectiveness and efficiency in carrying out the previous steps and seeking ways to improve
What are the 4 steps in the approach to smoking cessation?
- Health education and general information to enhance motivation for quitting (light smokers), 2. Brief advice from a health professional to quit smoking (light smokers), 3. Advice, nicotine replacement, follow-up by a specialist (moderately motivated, medium dependence smokers), 4. Specialised counselling rooms and agencies working with group sessions (high dependence smokers)
What is antibiotic resistance?
Bacteria change so antibiotics no longer work in people who need them to treat infections
What are the reasons for the widespread use of antibiotics? (2 reasons)
- Increase in global availability, - Uncontrolled sale in many low or middle income countries
What are some of the causes of antibiotic resistance? (5 causes)
- Use in livestock for growth promotion, - Releasing antibiotics into the environment during pharmaceutical manufacturing, - Volume of antibiotics prescribed, - Missing doses when taking antibiotics, - Inappropriate prescribing of antibiotics
How can antibiotic resistance be prevented? (5 ways)
- Using antibiotics only when prescribed by a doctor, - Completing the full prescription, - Never sharing antibiotics or using leftover prescriptions, - Only prescribing antibiotics when they are needed, - Using the right antibiotics to treat the illness
Which factors influence infection? (5 main factors)
- Infectious agents - ability to reproduce, survival, ability to spread, infectivity, pathogenicity, - Environment - contamination, other humans, animals, water, - Mode of transmission - droplet, airborne, aerosol, direct consumption, faecal-oral route, blood-borne, sexual contact, zoonosis, - Portal of entry - mouth, nose, ears, genital tract, skin, urinary tract, - Host factors - chronic illness, nutrition, age, immunity, lifestyle (e.g. smoking, drugs, etc.)
What are the most important infectious diseases in the UK? (9 diseases)
- Diphtheria, - Haemophilus influenza, - Measles, - Mumps, - Rubella, - Poliomyelitis, - Pneumococcal disease, - Tetanus, - Whooping cough
What are the most important infectious diseases in developing countries? (4 diseases)
- Pneumonia, - Chronic diarrhoea (due to several causes), - Malaria, - HIV/AIDS
What is surveillance?
Systematic collection, collation and analysis of data and dissemination of the results so that appropriate control measures can be taken
What is the purpose of surveillance? (3 main points)
- Serve as an early warning system for impending public health emergencies, - Document the impact of an intervention, or track progress towards specific goals, - Monitor and clarify the epidemiology of health problems, to allow priorities to be set and to inform public health policy and strategy
Which infectious disease are becoming more common in the UK and why?
Hospital acquired infections (e.g. MRSA, STIs, mumps)
Which infectious diseases are associated with exposure to healthcare?
- Nosocomial infections, - More common examples (60%): UTIs, pneumonia, lower respiratory tract infections (LRTIs), septicaemia, - Less common examples (40%) but more dangerous: chicken pox, TB, legionella, MRSA
What can be done to reduce the risk of nosocomial infections? (3 main steps)
- Prevention - hand washing, infection control programmes, advisory service, surveillance (mandatory for MRSA), sterilisation and decontamination of instruments, - Detection, investigation and control of outbreaks - screening, barrier nursing/isolation of infected patients, sharps disposal, - Policies and procedures to prevent and control infection - dissemination and implementation of policies, education and training, monitor clinical practice
What is global health?
- Health of global population, - Improving health and achieving equality in health for all people worldwide, - Emphasises trans-national health issues, determinants and solutions
What is international health?
Health defined by geography (nation wealth), problems (e.g. infections, water sanitation), instruments (e.g. infection control aid), and a recipient and donor relationship
What are the major functions of global health? (4 key points)
- To provide health-related public goods - research, standards, guidelines, - To manage cross-national externalities through epidemiological surveillance, information sharing, and coordination, - To mobilise global solidarity for populations facing deprivation and disasters, - To convene stakeholders to reach consensus on key issues, setting priorities, negotiating rules, facilitating mutual accountability, and advocating for health in other policy-making arenas
What is the motivation for global health? (2 key aspects)
- Increased awareness of global health disputes, - Enthusiasm to make a difference across international boundaries