NR 503 - Study Guide for Final
Exam
, NR 503
Study Guide for Final Exam
1. Objectives of epidemiology
a. Understand the aetiology or cause of a disease (risk factors)
b. Find out the extent that a disease or health problem affects a community or
population
c. Determine the natural history or prognosis
d. Evaluate existing and newly developed preventative therapeutic measures and
modes of healthcare delivery
2. Define, compare, calculate, and interpret Measures of Morbidity
a. Incidence rate: measurement of the number of new individuals who contract a
disease during a particular period of time
i. Calculation: Number of new cases of disease or injury during specified
period DIVIDED BY Size of population at start of period
b. Attack rate: Same as risk, proportion of individuals in a population (initially free
of disease) who develop the disease within a specified time interval.
i. Calculation: Total number of new cases DIVIDED BY The total population
c. Prevalence: measurement of all individuals affected by the disease at a
particular time
i. Calculation: Number of new cases of disease or injury during specified
period DIVIDED BY Time each person was observed, totaled for all
persons
d. These rates are used to measure disease occurrence and make comparisons
between population groups. They are commonly used measures that help our
understanding of the distribution of disease in a given population.
3. Understand why incidence data are important for measuring risk.
a. Incidence is important for measuring risk because it tells you the rate at which
new people are contracting the disease
4. Define, compare, calculate, and interpret Measures of Mortality
a. Mortality: a measure of the frequency of occurrence of death in a defined
population during a specified interval. Morbidity and mortality measures are
often the same mathematically; it's just a matter of what you choose to
measure, illness or death.
i. Calculation: Deaths occurring during a given time period DIVIDED BY Size
of the population among which the deaths occurred TIMES 10n
b. Cause-specific mortality rate: The mortality rate from a specified cause for a
population.
i. Calculation: The number of deaths attributed to a specific cause DIVIDED
BY The size of the population at the midpoint of the time period
c. Annual mortality rate: The rate of death in a one-year period.
Exam
, NR 503
Study Guide for Final Exam
1. Objectives of epidemiology
a. Understand the aetiology or cause of a disease (risk factors)
b. Find out the extent that a disease or health problem affects a community or
population
c. Determine the natural history or prognosis
d. Evaluate existing and newly developed preventative therapeutic measures and
modes of healthcare delivery
2. Define, compare, calculate, and interpret Measures of Morbidity
a. Incidence rate: measurement of the number of new individuals who contract a
disease during a particular period of time
i. Calculation: Number of new cases of disease or injury during specified
period DIVIDED BY Size of population at start of period
b. Attack rate: Same as risk, proportion of individuals in a population (initially free
of disease) who develop the disease within a specified time interval.
i. Calculation: Total number of new cases DIVIDED BY The total population
c. Prevalence: measurement of all individuals affected by the disease at a
particular time
i. Calculation: Number of new cases of disease or injury during specified
period DIVIDED BY Time each person was observed, totaled for all
persons
d. These rates are used to measure disease occurrence and make comparisons
between population groups. They are commonly used measures that help our
understanding of the distribution of disease in a given population.
3. Understand why incidence data are important for measuring risk.
a. Incidence is important for measuring risk because it tells you the rate at which
new people are contracting the disease
4. Define, compare, calculate, and interpret Measures of Mortality
a. Mortality: a measure of the frequency of occurrence of death in a defined
population during a specified interval. Morbidity and mortality measures are
often the same mathematically; it's just a matter of what you choose to
measure, illness or death.
i. Calculation: Deaths occurring during a given time period DIVIDED BY Size
of the population among which the deaths occurred TIMES 10n
b. Cause-specific mortality rate: The mortality rate from a specified cause for a
population.
i. Calculation: The number of deaths attributed to a specific cause DIVIDED
BY The size of the population at the midpoint of the time period
c. Annual mortality rate: The rate of death in a one-year period.
