Ateneo - UPO

Epidemiology: characteristics and aims for Evidence Based Practice.
Epidemiological study designs: primary and secondary, observational, and experimental, and the hierarchy of scientific evidence.
The causality criteria.
Frequency, association, and impact measures: prevalence, incidence, risks and rates.

Material (slides and exercises) used during the course and provided through the UPO website www.dir.uniupo.it.
Suggested textbooks:
- Paolo Chiari, Daniela Mosci, Enrico Naldi, Centro Studi EBN. Evidence-Based Clinical Practice. La pratica clinico-assistenziale basata su prove di efficacia. Mac Graw Hill, 2011
- Faggiano, Donato, Barbone (curatori). Manuale di epidemiologia per la Sanità pubblica. Centro Scientifico Editore

The course aims to provide the student with the bases for calculating and interpreting epidemiological data in order to take clinical care decisions based on evidence of effect.
Specific aims:
- to recognize and distinguish the various types of epidemiological studies, primary and secondary, describing characteristics, advantages, and disadvantages
- to calculate and interpret epidemiological measures of frequency, association, and impact
- to read and to interpret graphs on the trend of diseases in the population
- to understand results of an inferential analysis, to interpret the risk measures

Basic Maths

Interactive lectures.
Exercise sessions reading, calculating, and interpreting scientific data.
MS-Powerpoint presentations, Exploring websites.

14 hours of lectures and exercises on epidemiology methods.

The exam will consist in a written test, based from the summary of a scientific paper, translated into Italian, and complete with tables. The test will include 38 closed-ended questions: 7 Epidemiology and EBP, 12 Nursing Research Methodology and EBN, 7 Statistics, 12 Informatics. Type of questions, may include:
- checkboxes (one correct answer),
- checkboxes (more than one correct answer),
- true/false,
- calculations,
- of completion with omitted answers,
- of association.
In order to pass the test, 60% of the questions must be answered correctly. The 90-minute test will be processed and delivered via the DIR Examination system.
To achieve a 30/30 cum laude score, the student must demonstrate excellent knowledge of all topics covered in the course.
No penalization will be applied for incorrect/omitted. No oral tests will be held.

1. Epidemiology: characteristics and aims for Evidence Based Practice
2. Frequency measures: incidence, prevalence; rates and standardized rates
3. Bradford-Hill causality criteria
4. Case-control studies
5. Cohort studies
6. Experimental studies: RCTs
7. Association measures: OR, RR, RRR, ARR
8. Impact measures: RA, RAE; NTT
9. Literature reviews and meta-analysis; the Cochrane Collaboration and the Cochrane Reviews.

Knowledge and understanding:
- to know the methods of epidemiological research;
- to know the epidemiological measures of frequency, risk and impact.
- to know the scientific language.

Ability to apply knowledge and understanding:
- to perform simple and complex calculations, and interpret data of graphs and tables from health statistics;
- to recognize and distinguish the various types of epidemiological studies;
- to schematically plan an epidemiological study;
- to interpret the results of scientific research and draw consequences for clinical practice.

Autonomy of judgment
- to take decisions based on the results of scientific research;
- to assess the reliability of the results of an epidemiological study;
- to assess the causality of an epidemiological relationship;
- to develop interpretations for disease trends in the population subgroups.

Communication skills
- to describe scientific data by interpreting the phenomena in the light of the knowledge acquired;
- to use scientific language;
- to argue the interpretation of a health phenomenon or scientific data;
Learning skills
- to develop independent and peer study skills;
- to demonstrate ability and autonomy in seeking the information needed to solve problems or uncertainties.