Module Components

• Overview

Topics

• Definitions
• Epidemiologic Frameworks
• Communicable and Emerging Infectious Diseases
• Role of the Public Health Nurse

Nurs 467 - Public Health Nursing

Module 4: Epidemiology, Communicable Disease and Emerging Infectious Diseases

Overview

Epidemiology is the primary “science” of public health. The goal of epidemiology is to answer questions, such as: What are the most common diseases in a population? Why do some diseases affect certain populations more than others? What are the risk factors for a particular disease? In short, we want to better understand the burden and causes of health problems in human populations, and then make changes that decrease risk and improve health. The focus of this module is on the basics of epidemiology. You may need to review some of the concepts that you learned in Nursing Research, particularly the content on study design. This module presents a few models that are often used in epidemiology. You will also learn about rate calculations and various ways to display epidemiological data. Epidemiology is often used to track and investigate communicable or infectious disease. As a registered nurse, you are already familiar with communicable diseases. You will review the different levels of outbreaks and learn about emerging diseases. Finally, the module discusses how epidemiology fits into the scope of practice for the public health nurse, and various roles for PHNs in preventing communicable and emerging diseases.

Objectives

At the conclusion of this module, the learner will be able to:

• Define key terminology
• Describe and cite examples of the components of the epidemiological triangle
• Describe the components of the Natural History of any Disease in Man Model
• Calculate various rates
• Apply principles of epidemiology to primary, secondary and tertiary prevention for communicable and noncommunicable disease
• Apply the epidemiologic triangle to a communicable disease.
• Differentiate between endemic, epidemic and pandemic