When a disease occurs in a population, epidemiologists help us
to understand where the disease is coming from, and who it is most likely to impact
. The information gathered can then be used to control the spread of the disease and prevent future outbreaks.
How is epidemiology useful in infection control and prevention?
Epidemiology is the science that studies the determinants and the distribution of diseases and risk factors in a population. Advanced epidemiological methods impact in infection control by
making more accurate predictions about diagnosis and preventive measures
.
How does epidemiology control disease?
Epidemiology identifies
the distribution of diseases, factors underlying their source and cause, and methods
for their control; this requires an understanding of how political, social and scientific factors intersect to exacerbate disease risk, which makes epidemiology a unique science.
How does epidemiology help us to solve health problems?
It
helps us assess community health by finding out whether certain populations are at higher risk and whether health services are prepared to deal with health issues
. It helps us identify risk factors that we can use to help individuals make good decisions about behavior (like hand washing or social distancing).
What is the importance of epidemiology to the medical field?
Epidemiology
identifies the distribution of diseases, factors underlying their source and cause, and methods for their control
; this requires an understanding of how political, social and scientific factors intersect to exacerbate disease risk, which makes epidemiology a unique science.
What are the 3 major types of epidemiologic studies?
Three major types of epidemiologic studies are
cohort, case-control, and cross-sectional studies
(study designs are discussed in more detail in IOM, 2000). A cohort, or longitudinal, study follows a defined group over time.
What are the 5 W’s of epidemiology?
The difference is that epidemiologists tend to use synonyms for the 5 W’s:
diagnosis or health event (what), person (who), place (where), time (when), and causes, risk factors, and modes of transmission (why/how)
.
What is the main purpose of epidemiology?
Epidemiology
identifies the distribution of diseases, factors underlying their source and cause, and methods for their control
; this requires an understanding of how political, social and scientific factors intersect to exacerbate disease risk, which makes epidemiology a unique science.
What are the four uses of epidemiology?
For
community diagnosis of the presence, nature and distribution of health and disease among the population
, and the dimensions of these in incidence, prevalence, and mortality; taking into account that society is changing and health problems are changing. To study the workings of health services.
What are the advantages of epidemiology?
Epidemiology
offers powerful tools to quantify the degree to which risk factors and humanitarian interventions affect population health in a crisis
. These tools include surveys, surveillance, analysis of programme data, and rapid assessment.
Is epidemiology a good career?
Epidemiology is a very important career
. However, there is the general idea that epidemiologists are statisticians who work in a government office crunching numbers to find patterns in health related problems.
Is an epidemiologist a doctor?
Are epidemiologists considered medical doctors? No. While epidemiologists study and investigate the causes and sources of diseases in much the same way as medical doctors,
they’re not considered actual physicians
.
What is an example of epidemiology?
The term epidemiology is now widely applied to cover the description and causation of not only epidemic, infectious disease, but of disease in general, including related conditions. Some examples of topics examined through epidemiology include as
high blood pressure, mental illness and obesity
.
What are 2 general types of epidemiologic strategies?
Epidemiologic studies fall into two categories:
experimental and observational
.
Which is the most powerful epidemiological study?
Randomized, controlled clinical trials
are the most powerful designs possible in medical research, but they are often expensive and time-consuming. Well-designed observational studies can provide useful insights on disease causation, even though they do not constitute proof of causes.
What is the strongest study design?
I. A well
-designed randomized controlled trial
, where feasible, is generally the strongest study design for evaluating an intervention’s effectiveness.