PH-111 Introduction to Basic Epidemiology and Biostatistics

GENERAL INFORMATION:

Course title: PH 111: Introduction to Basic Epidemiology and Biostatistics
Campus: National Campus	Initiator: Paul Dacanay	Date: March 2021
Course description: This course introduces the epidemiological principles and their application in the occurrence of health-related events in the population. An introductory overview of biostatistics concepts and skills that is necessary for epidemiological practice will also be addressed. Epidemiology works through studies that try to identify, describe and measure the distribution of health and disease, and their determinants, in a specific population.

COURSE HOURS/CREDITS:

	Hours per Week		No. of Weeks			Total Hours			Semester Credits
Lecture	3	x	16		x	48/16		=	3
Laboratory		x			x	/48		=
Workshop		x			x	/48		=
Co-op		x			x	/32		=
				Total Semester			Credits		3

PURPOSE OF COURSE:

[X] Degree requirement

[ ] Degree elective

[ ] Certificate

[ ] Other

PREREQUISITES:

MS 099

PSLOs OF OTHER PROGRAMS THIS COURSE MEETS: None

PSLO#	Program

CAC Chair signatures:_________ Date recommended:__________

VPIA signature::_________ Date approved:_____________

1. INSTITUTIONAL STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES

[X]	1. Effective oral communication: capacity to deliver prepared, purposeful presentations designed to increase knowledge, to foster understanding, or to promote change in the listeners’ attitudes, values, beliefs, or behaviors.
[ ]	2. Effective written communication: development and expression of ideas in writing through work in many genres and styles, utilizing different writing technologies, and mixing texts, data, and images through iterative experiences across the curriculum.
[X]	3. Critical thinking: a habit of mind characterized by the comprehensive exploration of issues, ideas, artifacts, and events before accepting or formulating an opinion or conclusion.
[X]	4. Problem solving: capacity to design, evaluate, and implement a strategy to answer an open-ended question or achieve a desired goal.
[ ]	5. Intercultural knowledge and competence: a set of cognitive, affective, and behavioral skills and characteristics that support effective and appropriate interaction in a variety of cultural contexts.
[ ]	6. Information literacy: the ability to know when there is a need for information, to be able to identify, locate, evaluate, and effectively and responsibly use and share that information for the problem at hand.
[X]	7. Foundations and skills for life-long learning: purposeful learning activity, undertaken on an ongoing basis with the aim of improving knowledge, skills, and competence.
[X]	8. Quantitative Reasoning: ability to reason and solve quantitative problems from a wide array of authentic contexts and everyday life situations; comprehends and can create sophisticated arguments supported by quantitative evidence and can clearly communicate those arguments in a variety of formats.

PROGRAM STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES (PSLOs): The student will be able to:

Recognize, describe and discuss the basic public health science facts and principles;
List and discuss the essential public health functions and their interrelationships at community and district level;
Describe and discuss adult, children and family health issues;
Discuss and demonstrate an understanding and practice of some generic public health competencies;
Demonstrate proper public health skills for public health practice in the community as a state or local public health officer;
Discuss and demonstrate community and cultural sensitivity in the health care environment;
Describe and discuss the health determinants and problems of adults, children and families;
Demonstrate proper cardio-pulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and first aid techniques;
Demonstrate the ability and discuss how to make a community diagnosis based on the determinants of health;
Identify and demonstrate good public health practice;
Have had work experience at a public health facility at community and district levels.

COURSE STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES (CSLOs) (General): The student will be able to:

Identify health-related problems or phenomena in communities and describe their epidemiological distribution and possible determinants
Describe basic measures of morbidity and mortality and calculate them
Employ appropriate statistical methods in health data analysis; organize and present analyzed data in logical and meaningful ways
Discuss the importance of basic concepts and principles of public health surveillance systems, including screening programs, in monitoring the health status of a population
Describe and discuss the concept of disease outbreak and its detection, investigation and control
Explain how epidemiological studies contribute towards the overall health and well being of population groups and communities.

COURSE STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES (CSLOs) (Specific): The student will be able to:

CSLO (General) 1: Identify health-related problems or phenomena in communities and describe their epidemiological distribution and possible determinants
Student Learning Outcomes (specific)	ISLO	PSLO	Assessment Strategies
1.1 Define and discuss the purpose and goals of Epidemiology and its use	3,7	1, 4, 5, 10	Written assignments graded based on an answer key Direct and multiple-choice questions as part of examinations and quizzes given during the semester
1.2 Describe some examples of the use of epidemiological concepts in health settings	7	1, 4, 5	Written assignments graded based on an answer key Case Scenario discussions assessed with a rubric Direct and multiple-choice questions as part of examinations and quizzes given during the semester
1.3 Discuss the application of epidemiology principles in quantitative health research	3, 7	1, 4, 5	Case Scenario discussions assessed with a rubric Direct and multiple choice questions as part of examinations and quizzes given during the semester
1.4 Describe and discuss the concept of determinants and causation	1, 3, 7	1, 4	Individual oral presentation in response to direct questions assessed by a rubric Direct and multiple choice questions as part of examinations and quizzes given during the semester
1.5 Describe the four stages of the natural history of disease	1, 7	1, 4, 5	Individual oral presentation in response to direct questions assessed by a rubric Direct and multiple choice questions as part of examinations and quizzes given during the semester
1.6 Define the concepts of “normality” and “abnormality” in the context of clinical Epidemiology	1, 3, 7	1, 4, 5	Individual oral presentation in response to direct questions assessed by a rubric Direct and multiple choice questions as part of examinations and quizzes given during the semester
1.7 Briefly discuss the concept of diagnostic testing and the relationship between diagnostic test results and the occurrence of disease	3, 7	1, 4, 5	Case Scenario discussions assessed with a rubric Direct and multiple-choice questions as part of examinations and quizzes given during the semester
1.8 Describe the different levels of prevention and explain what stage of disease each level of prevention aims to address	3, 7	1, 4, 5, 10	Case Scenario discussions assessed with a rubric Direct and multiple-choice questions as part of examinations and quizzes given during the semester
CSLO (General) 2: Describe basic measures of morbidity and mortality and calculate them
Student Learning Outcomes (specific)	ISLO	PSLO	Assessment Strategies
2.1 Describe basic methods of health measurements	1, 7, 8	1, 4	Individual oral presentation in response to direct questions assessed by a rubric Direct and multiple-choice questions as part of examinations and quizzes given during the semester
2.2 Define and calculate commonly used morbidity (incidence and prevalence) and mortality rates (crude and specific death rates)	1, 3, 4*, 8	1, 4	Individual oral presentation in response to direct questions assessed by a rubric Problem solving or practice set
2.3 Discuss factors that influence rates in an observed disease occurrence	1, 7, 8	1, 4	Individual assignments graded based on an answer key Individual oral presentation in response to direct questions assessed by a rubric Direct and multiple-choice questions as part of examinations and quizzes given during the semester
CSLO (General) 3: Employ appropriate statistical methods in health data analysis; organize and present analyzed data in logical and meaningful ways
Student Learning Outcomes (specific)	ISLO	PSLO	Assessment Strategies
3.1 Define statistics and explain the role of statistics in health care	3, 7, 8	1, 4, 5, 10	Individual assignments graded based on an answer key Case Scenario discussions assessed with a rubric Direct and multiple choice questions as part of examinations and quizzes given during the semester
3.2 List the categories of statistics and what they are used for	7, 8	1, 4, 5, 10	Problem solving or practice set graded based on an answer key Direct and multiple choice questions as part of examinations and quizzes given during the semester
3.3 Explain the types of data	3, 7, 8	1, 4	Case Scenario discussions assessed with a rubric Individual oral presentation in response to direct questions assessed by a rubric Direct questions as part of examinations and quizzes given during the semester
3.4 Calculate and interpret the measures of central tendency and measures of dispersion of different quantitative data sets	3, 4, 8	1, 4	Problem solving or practice set graded based on an answer key Direct questions as part of examinations and quizzes given during the semester
3.5 Estimate population dynamics using samples	3, 4, 8	1, 4, 5	Case Scenario discussions assessed with a rubric Problem solving or practice set graded based on an answer key
3.6 Explain hypothesis testing	1, 3, 8	1, 4	Individual oral presentation in response to direct questions assessed by a rubric Direct and multiple-choice questions as part of examinations and quizzes given during the semester
3.7 Identify appropriate data display techniques to present analyzed data	3, 7	1, 4, 5	Problem solving or practice set graded based on an answer key Direct and multiple-choice questions as part of examinations and quizzes given during the semester
CSLO (General) 4: Discuss the importance of basic concepts and principles of public health surveillance systems, including screening programs, in monitoring the health status of a population
Student Learning Outcomes (specific)	ISLO	PSLO	Assessment Strategies
4.1 Explain the concept of Public Health Surveillance (PHS)	1, 3, 7	1, 4, 5	Individual oral presentation in response to direct questions assessed by a rubric Direct questions as part of examinations and quizzes given during the semester
4.2 Describe the different types of PHS	1, 7	1, 4, 5	Individual oral presentation in response to direct questions assessed by a rubric Direct and multiple-choice questions as part of examinations and quizzes given during the semester
4.3 Describe the criteria for deciding which diseases to place under surveillance	1, 3, 7	1, 4, 5, 10	Individual oral presentation in response to direct questions assessed by a rubric Problem solving or practice set graded based on an answer key
4.4 Identify sources of bias/ error in surveillance data and how these can be minimized	3	1, 4, 5	Problem solving or practice set graded based on an answer key Direct and multiple choice questions as part of examinations and quizzes given during the semester
4.5 Use a 2 x 2 table contingency and calculate screening test indices	3, 4	1, 4	Problem solving or practice set graded based on an answer key
4.6 Explain what the indices of a screening test validity mean	1, 3	1, 4	Part of a group discussions and presentation Individual oral presentation in response to direct questions. assessed by a rubric Direct questions as part of examinations and quizzes given during the semester
CSLO (General) 5: Describe and discuss the concept of disease outbreak and its detection, investigation and control
Student Learning Outcomes (specific)	ISLO	PSLO	Assessment Strategies
5.1 Discuss the importance of surveillance data and its relation to outbreak detection	1, 3,7	1, 4, 5, 10	Case Scenario discussions assessed with a rubric Individual oral presentation in response to direct questions assessed by a rubric Direct and multiple choice questions as part of examinations and quizzes given during the semester
5.2 Define and confirm an outbreak	7	1, 4, 5	Problem solving or practice set graded based on an answer key Case Scenario discussions assessed with a rubric Direct and multiple choice questions as part of examinations and quizzes given during the semester
5.3 Describe the steps of an outbreak investigation and its management	1, 3, 7	1, 4, 5, 10	Case Scenario discussions assessed with a rubric Individual oral presentation in response to direct questions Direct and multiple choice questions as part of examinations and quizzes given during the semester
5.4 Explain the importance of establishing a case definition before the counting of cases	1, 3, 7	1, 4, 5	Case Scenario discussions assessed with a rubric Individual oral presentation in response to direct questions Direct and multiple choice questions as part of examinations and quizzes given during the semester
5.5 Describe with examples the classification of case definitions	3, 7	1, 4, 5	Problem solving or practice set graded based on an answer key Direct and multiple choice questions as part of examinations and quizzes given during the semester
5.6 Interpret the various components of an epidemic curve	1, 3, 7	1, 4, 5, 10	Case Scenario discussions assessed with a rubric Individual oral presentation in response to direct questions Direct and multiple choice questions as part of examinations and quizzes given during the semester
5.7 Calculate and interpret attack rates	3, 4	1, 4	Problem solving or practice set graded based on an answer key
5.8 Initiate an environmental assessment and guide the setting up of relevant epidemic control measures	3, 7	1, 4, 5, 10	Problem solving or practice set graded based on an answer key Simulation group work graded by peer assessment rubric
5.9 Assist with an epidemic report and manage an epidemic checklist	7	1, 4, 5, 10	Problem solving or practice set graded based on an answer key Simulation group work graded by peer assessment rubric
CSLO (General) 6: Explain how epidemiological studies contribute towards the overall health and well being of population groups and communities.
Student Learning Outcomes (specific)	ISLO	PSLO	Assessment Strategies
Describe and differentiate the epidemiological principles of descriptive, ecological, cross- sectional, case-control and cohort studies; randomized controlled, field and community trials	3, 7	1, 4, 5, 10	Case Scenario discussions assessed with a rubric Problem solving or practice set graded based on an answer key Direct and multiple choice questions as part of examinations and quizzes given during the semester
6.2 Discuss advantages and disadvantages of these study designs	1, 3	1, 4	Case Scenario discussions assessed with a rubric Individual oral presentation in response to direct questions assessed by a rubric Direct and multiple choice questions as part of examinations and quizzes given during the semester
6.3 Explain different rates used in these studies	3	1, 4	Problem solving or practice set graded based on an answer key Direct questions as part of examinations and quizzes given during the semester
6.4 Explain the use of the 2x2 contingency table in each study design	3	1, 4, 5	Problem solving or practice set graded based on an answer key
6.5 Calculate and interpret odds ratio (OR) and measures of risk [e.g. relative risk (RR); risk difference/ absolute risk (RD or AR); population attributable risk (PAR), and others]	3, 4, 8	1, 4, 5	Problem solving or practice set graded based on an answer key
6.6 Define environmental Epidemiology and give examples of environmental hazards associated with adverse human health effects	3, 7	1, 4	Case Scenario discussions assessed with a rubric Individual oral presentation in response to direct questions assessed by a rubric Direct and multiple choice questions as part of examinations and quizzes given during the semester
6.7 Explain with examples the ‘dose-effect’ and ‘dose-response’ relationships and their importance	1, 3, 7	1, 4	Case Scenario discussions assessed with a rubric Individual oral presentation in response to direct questions assessed by a rubric Problem solving or practice set graded based on an answer key
6.8 Describe with examples the steps of risk assessment and risk management	3,7	1/4/5/10	Case Scenario discussions assessed with a rubric Individual oral presentation in response to direct questions assessed by a rubric Direct and multiple choice questions as part of examinations and quizzes given during the semester
6.9 Discuss how to use epidemiological principles for planning, evaluating and monitoring health services	1, 7	1, 4, 5, 10	Case Scenario discussions assessed with a rubric Individual oral presentation in response to direct questions assessed by a rubric Direct and multiple choice questions as part of examinations and quizzes given during the semester

5. COURSE CONTENT:

Introduction to Epidemiology
Basic Measurements in Health
Overview of Study Types – Observational and Experimental Epidemiology;
Case-Control and Cohort studies
Basic Statistics for Epidemiology
Causation, Clinical Epidemiology and Prevention
Overview of Public Health Surveillance and Data for Decision Making
Infectious Diseases and Investigating an Outbreak

6. METHODS OF INSTRUCTION:

[X] Lecture [X] Cooperative learning groups

[ ] Laboratory [X] In-class exercises

[ ] Audio visual [ ] Demonstration

[] Other

7. REQURIED TEXT(S) AND COURSE MATERIALS:
Beaglehole R., Bonita R., Kjellstrom T. (2007). Basic epidemiology, (2nd Ed.). Geneva, Switzerland: World Health Organization. (or most recent edition)

8. REFERENCE MATERIALS: (Note: Available at the Health Sciences library)

Friis RH., Sellers TA. (2020). Epidemiology for public health practice,(7th ed.). Maryland: Aspen Publishers. (or most recent edition)
Last JM. (1998). A dictionary of epidemiology. New York, NY: Oxford University Press.
Lilienfeld DE., Stolley PD. (1994). Foundations of epidemiology, (3rd ed.).New York, NY: Oxford University Press.(or most recent edition)
MacMahon B., Trichopoulos D. (1996). Epidemiology: Principles and methods, (2nd Ed.).New York, NY: Little, Brown, and Company.
Mausner, Shira (1985). Epidemiology: An introductory text,(2nd Ed.). Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: WB Saunders. (or most recent edition)

9.INSTRUCTIONAL COSTS:
None

10. EVALUATION:
Students must have a grade of 70%[C] or better to pass this course.

11. CREDIT BY EXAMINATION
None

PH 111 Intro. to Basic Epidemiology and Biostatistics

Approved by VPIA: 04/08/22

College of Micronesia - FSM

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PH-111 Introduction to Basic Epidemiology and Biostatistics

Hours per Week

No. of Weeks

Total Hours

Semester Credits