Epidemiology is a specialized form of____. Provides community health nurses with a body of knowledge on which to base their practice. epi= demo= logy= - -scientific research -upon -people -knowledge Definition of Epidemiology - study of the distributi

Epidemiology is a specialized form of____. Provides community health nurses with a body of knowledge on which to base their practice. epi= demo= logy= - -scientific research -upon -people -knowledge Definition of Epidemiology - study of the distribution and determinants of states of health and illness in populations Goals of epidemiology - to control health problems Hippocrates - 1st epidemiologist -Health influenced by personal characteristics, place and time -Examined health and disease in community -looked at climate, food and water in certain seasons John Snow - "Father of Epidemiology" -Conducted epidemiologic research on transmission of cholera -Used mapping and natural experiment -Foul water from a pump was the vehicle for transmission of cholera Florence Nightingale - Development of epidemiology -Conditions of environment and recovery of soldiers -Used measures of rates of illness per 1,000 soldiers -Improving environmental conditions and adding nursing care decreased mortality rates of soldier -used statistics and data "Tools of epidemiology" used by community health nurses -Epidemiology is used to: (5) - 1. provide baseline information 2. identify problems 3. design strategies to evaluate problems 4. develop plan of care 5. evaluate care Measures of morbidity (____) Measures of mortality (____) Both rely on __and___ - -sickness -death -rates/proportions Proportional Mortality Ratio (PMR) - compares death from a specific illness with death from all causes. Number of deaths from a specific illness in a given period divided by the total number of deaths in a given period Rate - describes the occurrence of a state of health of a group of people in a given time -used to quantify the occurrence (incidence) -used to quantify the existence (prevalence) Rate measures_____and deals with_____ Example: - -how quickly something is happening/change -ex: 50 cases of influenza in a population of 250 would be considered a high rate, but a low rate in a population of 250,000. *ppl who have already experienced the even are excluded from the rate/population How to calculate a rate - # of conditions or events within a designated period of time x multiple of 10 divided by population at risk during the same period of time. Incidence rate - measure of the probability that people without a certain condition will develop that condition over a period of time (new cases) -based on risk Prevalence risk - measures the number of people in a given population who have an existing condition at a given point in time Attack rate - measure of the probability that people without a certain condition will develop the condition within a period of time -similar to incidence rate -used often in infectious disease investigations *only new cases are counted and placed in the numerator Mortality rate - probability of death by any cause in a given population within a given period of time -provide information about fatal diseases -does not provide information about level of existing disease or the risk of getting a particular disease Crude mortality rate - annual rate that represents the proportion of a population that died of any cause during the 1 year period, using the mid year period as the denominator Infant mortality rate - number of infant deaths before 1 year of age per number of live births in a one year period -used around the world as an indicator of overall health and availability of health care services Epidemiologic Triangle/Triad -epidemiologists began to consider disease states in terms of the epidemiologic triangle/triad -interactions among three elements of the triangle explained____and______and________ - -infectious/other disease patterns/determines health status Basic epidemiologic concepts of the triad are the interrelationships between__,___,and___ - agent/host/environment Agent - element/force that can initiate a health problem Host - client whose health status is concerned Environment - context within which the agent and host interacts Changes in elements of the triangle can _____or_____a persons risk for disease - increase/decrease Examples of an Agent - infectious agents, chemical agents, physical agents Examples of a Host - genetic makeup, age, sex, nutrition, lifestyle factors, race, exercise level Examples of an Environment - climate, plant and animal life, crowding, social support, education, resources, noise, work satisfaction, vectors, heat pg 94 Epidemiologic data: obtained from - National Center for Health Statistics Windshield surveys Interviews of key informants Participant observation Surveys of community residents Analyze secondary sources Infant mortality rate -