Question

1. What is epidemiology? 2. What is managerial epidemiology? 3. How is managerial epidemiology a useful tool to health care professionals in leadership roles? 4. Why is it important for managers to embrace methods of epidemiology in their day-to-day work? 5. What did you learn after reading this chapter about how to distinguish between a good study and a bad study?

Answer 1

Ans) 1) Epidemiology: the branch of medicine which deals with the incidence, distribution, and possible control of diseases and other factors relating to health.

2) Managerial Epidemiology:

- Applying the tools of epidemiology in the managerial decision making process.

3) Epidemiology, as a science, probes into distribution and determinants of any kind of disease in human populations. There are various areas where epidemiologic tools may be employed. First, they could be used to measure burden of diseases in a specific population. Second, these tools could determine differences in burden of diseases among populations. Third, they are applied to delve into the origins or causes of such differences in disease burdens. Last but not least, epidemiologic tools could be employed to determine the ramifications of different treatments and interventions given to lessen burden of diseases. To put it simply, epidemiology encompasses any kind of tool that is applied to determine anything learnt about interventions, treatments, and healthcare services.

4) Epidemiological methods are used for disease surveillance to identify which hazards are the most important. Epidemiological studies are also used to identify risk factors which may represent critical control points in the food production system.

- The use of epidemiology for designing and managing health care for populations. Effective management of resources to maintain and promote the health of populations. The use epidemiological concepts and tools to improve decisions about the management of health services.