Course overview
The aim of this course is to give students a grounding in the basic concepts of epidemiology. Students will gain knowledge about: measuring and interpreting patterns of disease occurrence; routine sources of data, their strengths and limitations; study designs used in epidemiology and when to apply them; epidemiological models of causation; and will examine issues of study design and interpretation of results.
Course learning outcomes
- Demonstrate an understanding of routine sources of data used in descriptive epidemiology, and appreciate their strengths and limitations accordingly
- Outline epidemiological measures of disease occurrence, calculate basic measures and describe patterns of disease occurrence
- Correctly calculate and apply absolute and relative measures of risk
- Differentiate epidemiological study designs, recognise the most appropriate circumstances in which to use each design, and describe the measures of disease occurrence that can be generated using each design
- Recognise potential threats to correctly interpreting results from epidemiological studies, and identify those most relevant to each study design
- Distinguish the difference between association and causation, and appreciate relevant issues in inferring causation from observational designs
- Summarise the principles of screening and the conditions under which a screening program would be most appropriate and cost-effective.
Degree list
The following degrees include this course