KAFUE INSTITUTE OF HEALTH SCIENCES AND RESEARCH USES

KAFUE INSTITUTE OF HEALTH SCIENCES AND RESEARCH USES OF EPIDEMIOLOGY BY GESTON MOYO

TEN USES OF EPIDEMIOLOGY 1. To determine which in the three possible sets of disease factors, host, agent and environment, are important in the occurrence of a specific disease or class of diseases, the extent to which those factors are important and the manner in which they interact.

TEN USES OF EPIDEMIOLOGY 2. To study the occurrence of disease in a population for purposes of community diagnosis and prognosis. A clinician sees a disease as it occurs in an individual, The epidemiologist is interested in the individual as well as the group; In this instance, the community at large. Through morbidity, mortality and population data, contained in existing records or collected in his own surveys, he determines which diseases are prevalent in a community and whether as single entities or in association with each other they are severe enough to endanger the health of the community.

TEN USES OF EPIDEMIOLOGY 3. To describe the epidemiology of a disease or class of diseases. The occurrence of a disease and its severity and outcome are resultants of a complex of interacting factors, some of which are host factors and others, agent and/or environmental. A description of the epidemiology of a disease involves a thorough study of that disease in all its aspects including its frequency in various populations and subpopulations, and known and suggested factors in the premorbid, morbid and post morbid periods.

TEN USES OF EPIDEMIOLOGY 4. To measure risk such as attack rate, case incidence rate (New cases presenting with the disease at a given time), prevalence rate (people having the disease at a particular time), case mortality (people dyeing of a particular disease at a given time) and fatality rates (If one has a particular disease what is the probability that he will die of the same disease).

TEN USES OF EPIDEMIOLOGY 5. To study the occurrence of disease or death with time as a variable. Such a study is referred to as a historical study.

TEN USES OF EPIDEMIOLOGY 6. To help in the search for causes of disease. The mechanism of disease production is so intricate that causes are not easily isolated, and it may be advisable from a public health point of view to work with assumed causes. a cause can be defined as an agent or any host or environmental factor that is influential in producing disease or accelerating its appearance.

TEN USES OF EPIDEMIOLOGY 7. In disease prevention and control. Primary control or disease prevention is the ideal control measure. Secondary control consists of diagnosis and treatment, and tertiary control involves rehabilitation of the disabled and correction of defect or impairment.

TEN USES OF EPIDEMIOLOGY 8. To help in the identification of clinical syndromes. A syndrome is a group of signs and symptoms that occur together and characterize a disease. Some diseases closely resemble each other in signs and symptoms. The object is to distinguish among these diseases on the basis of their subtle peculiarities.

TEN USES OF EPIDEMIOLOGY 9. To help in the detection of presymptomatic and latent disease. Many diseases such as tuberculosis, diabetes, hypertension, glaucoma, cancer of the cervix and syphilis can be detected before the onset of symptoms or the development of serious changes. The way to accomplish this is through mass screening techniques (both mono and multi phasic), preemployment physical examinations, periodic health examinations, special surveys and routine examinations in hospitals and clinics.

TEN USES OF EPIDEMIOLOGY 10. Helps administrative medicine and operations research. One might evaluate the success of a disease control program; the needs of a hospital in terms of equipment, personnel and space; the quality of medical care in a community; and the efficiency of hospital administration as compared with private industry.