Epidemiology
ANSWERS
Epidemiology is the study of the distribution and determinants of health-related states or events in specific populations and applying this knowledge to the prevention and treatment of health problems.
Epidemiology is a scientific discipline founded on sound scientific inquiry methods. Epidemiology is data-driven, relying on a methodical and unbiased approach to data collection, analysis, and interpretation. Basic epidemiologic methods rely on careful observation and good comparison groups to determine whether what was observed differs from what might be expected, such as the number of cases of a disease in a specific area during a specific period or the frequency of exposure among persons with the disease. Epidemiology, on the other hand, draws on methods from other scientific fields, such as biostatistics and informatics, as well as biological, economic, social, and behavioral sciences.
Epidemiology also looks for determinants or factors that influence disease occurrence and other health-related events. Epidemiologists believe that illness does not occur at random in a population but rather occurs when an individual has the right combination of risk factors or determinants. Epidemiologists use analytic epidemiology or epidemiologic studies to determine the “Why” and “How” of such events find these determinants. They examine whether groups with varying disease rates differ in demographics, genetic or immunologic makeup, behaviors, environmental exposures, or other potential risk factors. The findings would provide enough evidence to direct immediate and effective public health control and prevention measures in an ideal world.
Epidemiology is more than just “the study of” health in a population; it also entails applying the research findings to community-based practice. The practice of epidemiology, like medicine, is both a science and an art. The clinician combines medical (scientific) knowledge with experience, clinical judgment, and understanding to make the proper diagnosis and prescribe appropriate treatment for a patient. Similarly, the epidemiologist employs descriptive and analytic methods, experience, epidemiologic judgment, and an understanding of local conditions in “diagnosing” a community’s health and proposing appropriate, reasonable, and acceptable public health interventions to control and prevent disease in the community.
Epidemiology is the scientific, systematic, data-driven study of the distribution (frequency, pattern) and determinants (causes, risk factors) of health-related states and events (not just diseases) in specific populations (patient is a community, individuals viewed collectively), and the application of this study to the control of health problems (since epidemiology is a discipline within public health).
QUESTION
Epidemiology
This week discussion review and discuss:
What are the three basic questions in the Model for Improvement?
What are we trying to accomplish?
How do we know that a change is an improvement?
What change can we make that will result in an improvement?
Please remember to include references.