.
Epidemiology
Study Course Description
Course Description Statuss:Approved
Course Description Version:11.00
Study Course Accepted:08.08.2023 15:49:14
| Study Course Information | |||||||||
| Course Code: | SVUEK_106 | LQF level: | Level 7 | ||||||
| Credit Points: | 4.00 | ECTS: | 6.00 | ||||||
| Branch of Science: | Clinical Medicine; Public Health | Target Audience: | Information and Communication Science | ||||||
| Study Course Supervisor | |||||||||
| Course Supervisor: | Aija Bukova-Žideļūna | ||||||||
| Study Course Implementer | |||||||||
| Structural Unit: | Department of Public Health and Epidemiology | ||||||||
| The Head of Structural Unit: | |||||||||
| Contacts: | Riga, 8 Kronvalda boulevard, svek rsu[pnkts]lv, +37167338307 | ||||||||
| Study Course Planning | |||||||||
| Full-Time - Semester No.1 | |||||||||
| Lectures (count) | 12 | Lecture Length (academic hours) | 2 | Total Contact Hours of Lectures | 24 | ||||
| Classes (count) | 12 | Class Length (academic hours) | 2 | Total Contact Hours of Classes | 24 | ||||
| Total Contact Hours | 48 | ||||||||
| Study course description | |||||||||
| Preliminary Knowledge: | Good reading skills in English. | ||||||||
| Objective: | Extend knowledge of basic issues of epidemiology that is necessary for understanding and interpreting health research and other health information. | ||||||||
| Topic Layout (Full-Time) | |||||||||
| No. | Topic | Type of Implementation | Number | Venue | |||||
| 1 | The concept and basic principles of epidemiology. | Lectures | 1.00 | auditorium | |||||
| Classes | 1.00 | auditorium | |||||||
| 2 | History of epidemiology. | Lectures | 1.00 | auditorium | |||||
| Classes | 1.00 | auditorium | |||||||
| 3 | Causality. Risk factor. Confounder. | Lectures | 1.00 | auditorium | |||||
| Classes | 1.00 | auditorium | |||||||
| 4 | Key epidemiological indicators. | Lectures | 1.00 | auditorium | |||||
| Classes | 1.00 | auditorium | |||||||
| 5 | Crude, specific and standardised indicators. | Lectures | 1.00 | auditorium | |||||
| Classes | 1.00 | auditorium | |||||||
| 6 | Critical assessment of health information. | Lectures | 1.00 | auditorium | |||||
| Classes | 1.00 | auditorium | |||||||
| 7 | Descriptive epidemiological studies. | Lectures | 1.00 | auditorium | |||||
| Classes | 1.00 | auditorium | |||||||
| 8 | Biases. Sampling. | Lectures | 1.00 | auditorium | |||||
| Classes | 1.00 | auditorium | |||||||
| 9 | Analytic epidemiological studies. | Lectures | 1.00 | auditorium | |||||
| Classes | 1.00 | auditorium | |||||||
| 10 | Association indicators. | Lectures | 1.00 | auditorium | |||||
| Classes | 1.00 | auditorium | |||||||
| 11 | Diagnostic tests. Evaluation of screening for diseases. | Lectures | 1.00 | auditorium | |||||
| Classes | 1.00 | auditorium | |||||||
| 12 | Planning the research, independent work. | Lectures | 1.00 | auditorium | |||||
| Classes | 1.00 | auditorium | |||||||
| Assessment | |||||||||
| Unaided Work: | Work with literature, data search and compilation for submission of the independent work. Presentation of the independent work. In order to evaluate the quality of the study course as a whole, the student must fill out the study course evaluation questionnaire on the Student Portal. | ||||||||
| Assessment Criteria: | Cumulative rating consisting of 2 presentation of independently accomplished work (2 x 25%) and a written exam (50%). A successful assessment of his/her own work must be obtained for the student to be admitted to the examination. Taking an exam is mandatory for a cumulative final score. The assessment of independent work does not increase the assessment of an unsuccessful examination. | ||||||||
| Final Examination (Full-Time): | Exam (Written) | ||||||||
| Final Examination (Part-Time): | |||||||||
| Learning Outcomes | |||||||||
| Knowledge: | On successful completion of the course, students will: • Describe the historical development and present understanding of the concept of epidemiology, presenting the future challenges. • Identify and interpret the concepts of causative factors, risk factors, as well as related factors of health and diseases in the context of multifactorial causation theory. • Define the principles for measuring health events and conditions. • List potential sources of health information, their advantages and disadvantages. • Classify the main types of epidemiological studies. List their advantages and disadvantages. • Explain the concept of confounder and systemic deviation. | ||||||||
| Skills: | On successful completion of the course, students will: • Distinguish between causal and non-causal associations of factors and health events. • Calculate indicators of health events and conditions. • Calculate association indicators. • Calculate the specificity, sensitivity and predictable values of the tests. | ||||||||
| Competencies: | On successful completion of the course, students will: • Select the health incident rates that are appropriate for describing the health problem. • Assess the relevance of the research design to the subject matter. • Interpret the nature of association indicators. • Interpret the disease prevalence and incidence, morbidity and mortality rates in different populations and their changes over time. • Assess the validity of evidence for treatment, prevention and healthcare system and policy practices. | ||||||||
| Bibliography | |||||||||
| No. | Reference | ||||||||
| Required Reading | |||||||||
| 1 | M. Baltiņš. „Lietišķā epidemioloģija”. „Zinātne”, Rīga, 2003. | ||||||||
| 2 | Bouter, L. M., Zielhuis, G. and Zeegers M. P. Textbook of Epidemiology. Bohn Stafleu van Loghum. 2018. | ||||||||
| Additional Reading | |||||||||
| 1 | Alfredo Morabia. Enigmas of health and disease. 2014. | ||||||||
| 2 | L. Gordis. „Epidemiology”. 3rd Edition. Elsevier Saunders, 2004. | ||||||||
| 3 | Fletcher, R. H., Fletcher, S. W. and Fletcher, G. S. Clinical Epidemiology: The Essentials. 5th Edition. Philadelphia: LWW, 2014. | ||||||||
