HS 3400 Final Exam UPDATED ACTUAL
QUESTIONS AND CORRECT ANSWERS
What policy issues does the bite of blood case adress? - CORRECT ANSWER - role of
evidence
- framing of issues
- screening
- policy trade-offs
- cost-effectiveness analysis
- ethics (precautionary principle)
- federal-provincial roles and responsibilities
What is environmental health - CORRECT ANSWER the theory and practice of
assessing, correcting, controlling, and preventing those factors in the environment that can
potentially affect adversely the health of present and future generations
Naylor Report (2003) - CORRECT ANSWER - policy document related to the sars
virus
- critical of public health practice and underfunded
- said that sars won't be the only emerging infectious disease and that they're getting here
faster
West Nile Virus - CORRECT ANSWER - spread to humans by the bite of an infected
mosquito (bridge vector)
- became a disease of significance in 2003
- only serious is a small proportion of population (80% asymptomatic) - mostly older people
- the risk posed by vector species is the focus as to when we should do something and if its
worth it since few are affected
- climate and weather dependent
,Framing of the West Nile Virus - CORRECT ANSWER - frame it from the perspective
of testing and screening
- nature of the condition
- risk to blood supply
- zero tolerance (precautionary principle)
- costs of doing something vs not doing something - places a dollar value on human life
precautionary principle - CORRECT ANSWER - the expectation in aspects of civil
society
- if you think there is a possibility of harm there is an expectation to do something about it
(eg. drinking and driving or slips and falls and reducing those risks)
- lack of full scientific certainty shall not be used as a reason for postponing cost-effective
measures to prevent environmental degradation (can't be certain something bad won't happen)
- engaging in advantageous behaviours rather than detrimental
- a useful tool in raising awareness and determining aspects of human culture that are and are
not sustainable
Precautionary principle; principles (5) - CORRECT ANSWER 1. Proportionality -
protection measures are in proportion to the risks
2. Non-discrimination - comparable situations should be treated in the same way unless there
are grounds for doing so (eg. respond in same way for all people like men and women)
3. Consistency - measures should be of comparable scope/nature to those already taken in
similar areas where scientific data are available
4. Examining costs and benefits - comparing costs of an action and lack of action in both
short and long term; not just economic cost-benefit analysis
5. Subject to review - in light of new scientific data, the protection should be maintained
(when discover new info, need to still be flexible)
Precautionary principle in principle - CORRECT ANSWER - If hazards are well
established and supported by scientific evidence, precautionary action is almost always going
to receive consensus support (supported by population)
,"When there are significant gaps in the scientific understanding of hazards, precautionary
regulatory policies and recommendations to consumers are often controversial".
Risk management science - CORRECT ANSWER - data is constantly evaluated
- preventing the hazard from becoming a risk
- risk assessment to risk management
Example of risk management: Failure modes and effective analysis - CORRECT
ANSWER - identifies hazards and exposures of regular care provided
- failure modes (what could go wrong?)
- failure causes (why would the failure happen?)
- failure effects (what would be the consequence of each failure?)
- site specific
Krever commission - CORRECT ANSWER - a public inquiry that looked at the tainted
blood supply
- this was REACTIVE to the adverse event
- How Canada's blood supply system managed the threat of Hepatitis C and HIV via the
blood transfusion
- Argued to be the largest public health catastrophe in Canadian history
- precautionary measures and creation of a governance system that prioritizes safety
- CBS responded with the same principles applied to SARS and COVID
Difference between the Krever commission and the Naylor Report - CORRECT
ANSWER Naylor report is a provincial commission that worked to prevent risk from
future pandemics. It examined SARS.
Krever commission was reactive to blood issues
- public health policies in Canada are strongly affected by intergovernmental relations
, Public health renewal in Canada (Naylor) - CORRECT ANSWER - public health is
primarily a provincial concern, but actioned at the municipal level
- federal government has the most ability to generate revenue for this issue but doesn't fund it
- Krever and Naylor helped rebuild our public health system
- Canada's ability to fight an outbreak of SARS was tied more closely to the SPECIFIC
STRENGTHS OF OUR PUBLIC HEALTH SYSTEM than to the general capacity of our
publicly-funded personal health services system.
- we refer to systems that are population-focused
Trade-offs (WNV) - CORRECT ANSWER - first rule of economics is that there is an
infinite number of desired chasing a finite number of goods, services, and resources
- the first rule of politics is to ignore the first rule of economics
- ideology (set of opinions or beliefs and the study of ideas) plays a big role
Cost - economic evaluation - CORRECT ANSWER - helps policy makers decide what
to fund, what not to fund, or how to fund it
- In economics, costs aren't just measured in monetary terms, but in terms of opportunity
costs: the true cost of something is what you give up to get it
- consider whose costs are included
- all choices you make in healthcare policies comes to opportunity costs
What is a cost? - CORRECT ANSWER - Direct (healthcare system, bed, drugs,
therapy)
- Indirect - lost wages (hiring people to help run systems)
- Intangible - pain, suffering, or opportunity (not actual dollars)
Economic evaluation - CORRECT ANSWER - One way to study effects and
implementation tool
- Comparative analysis of alternative courses of action in terms of both their costs and
consequences.
- helps us look at all considerations
- helps us be more mindful of equality and ethical considerations
QUESTIONS AND CORRECT ANSWERS
What policy issues does the bite of blood case adress? - CORRECT ANSWER - role of
evidence
- framing of issues
- screening
- policy trade-offs
- cost-effectiveness analysis
- ethics (precautionary principle)
- federal-provincial roles and responsibilities
What is environmental health - CORRECT ANSWER the theory and practice of
assessing, correcting, controlling, and preventing those factors in the environment that can
potentially affect adversely the health of present and future generations
Naylor Report (2003) - CORRECT ANSWER - policy document related to the sars
virus
- critical of public health practice and underfunded
- said that sars won't be the only emerging infectious disease and that they're getting here
faster
West Nile Virus - CORRECT ANSWER - spread to humans by the bite of an infected
mosquito (bridge vector)
- became a disease of significance in 2003
- only serious is a small proportion of population (80% asymptomatic) - mostly older people
- the risk posed by vector species is the focus as to when we should do something and if its
worth it since few are affected
- climate and weather dependent
,Framing of the West Nile Virus - CORRECT ANSWER - frame it from the perspective
of testing and screening
- nature of the condition
- risk to blood supply
- zero tolerance (precautionary principle)
- costs of doing something vs not doing something - places a dollar value on human life
precautionary principle - CORRECT ANSWER - the expectation in aspects of civil
society
- if you think there is a possibility of harm there is an expectation to do something about it
(eg. drinking and driving or slips and falls and reducing those risks)
- lack of full scientific certainty shall not be used as a reason for postponing cost-effective
measures to prevent environmental degradation (can't be certain something bad won't happen)
- engaging in advantageous behaviours rather than detrimental
- a useful tool in raising awareness and determining aspects of human culture that are and are
not sustainable
Precautionary principle; principles (5) - CORRECT ANSWER 1. Proportionality -
protection measures are in proportion to the risks
2. Non-discrimination - comparable situations should be treated in the same way unless there
are grounds for doing so (eg. respond in same way for all people like men and women)
3. Consistency - measures should be of comparable scope/nature to those already taken in
similar areas where scientific data are available
4. Examining costs and benefits - comparing costs of an action and lack of action in both
short and long term; not just economic cost-benefit analysis
5. Subject to review - in light of new scientific data, the protection should be maintained
(when discover new info, need to still be flexible)
Precautionary principle in principle - CORRECT ANSWER - If hazards are well
established and supported by scientific evidence, precautionary action is almost always going
to receive consensus support (supported by population)
,"When there are significant gaps in the scientific understanding of hazards, precautionary
regulatory policies and recommendations to consumers are often controversial".
Risk management science - CORRECT ANSWER - data is constantly evaluated
- preventing the hazard from becoming a risk
- risk assessment to risk management
Example of risk management: Failure modes and effective analysis - CORRECT
ANSWER - identifies hazards and exposures of regular care provided
- failure modes (what could go wrong?)
- failure causes (why would the failure happen?)
- failure effects (what would be the consequence of each failure?)
- site specific
Krever commission - CORRECT ANSWER - a public inquiry that looked at the tainted
blood supply
- this was REACTIVE to the adverse event
- How Canada's blood supply system managed the threat of Hepatitis C and HIV via the
blood transfusion
- Argued to be the largest public health catastrophe in Canadian history
- precautionary measures and creation of a governance system that prioritizes safety
- CBS responded with the same principles applied to SARS and COVID
Difference between the Krever commission and the Naylor Report - CORRECT
ANSWER Naylor report is a provincial commission that worked to prevent risk from
future pandemics. It examined SARS.
Krever commission was reactive to blood issues
- public health policies in Canada are strongly affected by intergovernmental relations
, Public health renewal in Canada (Naylor) - CORRECT ANSWER - public health is
primarily a provincial concern, but actioned at the municipal level
- federal government has the most ability to generate revenue for this issue but doesn't fund it
- Krever and Naylor helped rebuild our public health system
- Canada's ability to fight an outbreak of SARS was tied more closely to the SPECIFIC
STRENGTHS OF OUR PUBLIC HEALTH SYSTEM than to the general capacity of our
publicly-funded personal health services system.
- we refer to systems that are population-focused
Trade-offs (WNV) - CORRECT ANSWER - first rule of economics is that there is an
infinite number of desired chasing a finite number of goods, services, and resources
- the first rule of politics is to ignore the first rule of economics
- ideology (set of opinions or beliefs and the study of ideas) plays a big role
Cost - economic evaluation - CORRECT ANSWER - helps policy makers decide what
to fund, what not to fund, or how to fund it
- In economics, costs aren't just measured in monetary terms, but in terms of opportunity
costs: the true cost of something is what you give up to get it
- consider whose costs are included
- all choices you make in healthcare policies comes to opportunity costs
What is a cost? - CORRECT ANSWER - Direct (healthcare system, bed, drugs,
therapy)
- Indirect - lost wages (hiring people to help run systems)
- Intangible - pain, suffering, or opportunity (not actual dollars)
Economic evaluation - CORRECT ANSWER - One way to study effects and
implementation tool
- Comparative analysis of alternative courses of action in terms of both their costs and
consequences.
- helps us look at all considerations
- helps us be more mindful of equality and ethical considerations
