NURS4006 Epidemiology: Define Your Population and Selected Problem

NURS4006 Epidemiology: Define Your Population and Selected Problem

Week 2 Practicum Group Discussion

Epidemiology: Define Your Population and Selected Problem

This week, you will further refine your population and problem and compare your suspicions about this problem to local, state, and national data on the topic. Your practicum project should come into clear focus as you continue to analyze related health data, and you should consider how you, as the nurse, might help them avoid development of the problem in the first place (primary prevention measures). NURS4006 Epidemiology: Define Your Population and Selected Problem

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Epidemiologic studies may be (1) descriptive, organizing data by time, place, and person; (2) analytic, incorporating a case-control or cohort study; or (3) experimental. Epidemiology utilizes an organized approach to problem solving by: (1) confirming the existence of an epidemic and verifying the diagnosis; (2) developing a case definition and collating data on cases; (3) analyzing data by time, place, and person; (4) developing a hypothesis; (5) conducting further studies if necessary; (6) developing and implementing control and prevention measures; (7) preparing and distributing a public report; and (8) evaluating control and preventive measures.

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Introduction

This chapter reviews the general concepts of epidemiology, which is the study of the determinants, occurrence, distribution, and control of health and disease in a defined population. Epidemiology is a descriptive science and includes the determination of rates, that is, the quantification of disease occurrence within a specific population. The most commonly studied rate is the attack rate: the number of cases of the disease divided by the population among whom the cases have occurred. Epidemiology can accurately describe a disease and many factors concerning its occurrence before its cause is identified. For example, Snow described many aspects of the epidemiology of cholera in the late 1840s, fully 30 years before Koch described the bacillus and Semmelweis described puerperal fever in detail in 1861 and recommended appropriate control and prevention measures a number of years before the streptococcal agent was fully described. One goal of epidemiologic studies is to define the parameters of a disease, including risk factors, in order to develop the most effective measures for control. This chapter includes a discussion of the chain of infection, the three main epidemiologic methods, and how to investigate an epidemic (Table 9-1). NURS4006 Epidemiology: Define Your Population and Selected Problem