Epidemiology

Course content

The course is a general introduction to epidemiology including the basic concepts and study designs that are used in the field. After this course, students should be able to reproduce, explain, judge, and criticize scientific papers within the field of health, including calculating and interpreting basic frequency and association measures.

Education

Bachelor's degree in Health and Informatics - mandatory course

Learning outcome

Knowledge

  • List different data types and sources within epidemiology.
  • Describe characteristics of epidemiological study designs, including case-control, cohort, intervention, and cross-sectional studies.
  • Describe epidemiological non-systematic and systematic sources of error, selection bias, and information bias.
  • Describe the epidemiological phenomena of effect modification, mediation, and confounding.
  • Describe frequently used statistical models in epidemiology.

 

Skills

  • Explain the concept of causality and the epidemiological causal model.
  • Calculate and interpret epidemiological frequency and association measures.
  • Understand and assess how, when, and in which direction systematic errors (bias) can distort the results of epidemiological studies. Furthermore, assess whether effect modification, mediation, and confounding occur in epidemiological studies.
  • Rank epidemiological studies according to the hierarchy of evidence.

 

Competences

  • Analyze, interpret, and discuss frequency and association measures.
  • Critically assess the internal validity of epidemiological studies.
  • Assess whether epidemiological evidence can be generalized (external validity).
  • Be critical of the importance of data collection for valid conclusions.

Lectures and exercises

A textbook, a collection of scientific articles as learning material, and instructive videos will be made available on the course Absalon page.

Collective
Peer feedback (Students give each other feedback)
ECTS
7,5 ECTS
Type of assessment
On-site written exam, 4 hours under invigilation
Type of assessment details
The exam consists of a scientific article in the field of medical research and a series of questions. The article is handed out 24 hours before the exam itself. The questions that are to be answered are handed out at the start of the exam.
Aid
All aids allowed
Marking scale
7-point grading scale
Censorship form
No external censorship
Re-exam

In case of 10 or fewer students registered for re-exam

Type of assessment: Oral examination

Assessment details: 15 minutes examination

Preparation: 30 minutes 

Aids: All aids allowed

Criteria for exam assessment

To achieve grade 12, the student must be able to:

Knowledge

  • List different data types and sources within epidemiology.
  • Describe characteristics of epidemiological study designs, including case-control, cohort, intervention, and cross-sectional studies.
  • Describe epidemiological non-systematic and systematic sources of error, selection bias, and information bias.
  • Describe the epidemiological phenomena of effect modification, mediation, and confounding.
  • Describe frequently used statistical models in epidemiology.

 

Skills

  • Explain the concept of causality and the epidemiological causal model.
  • Calculate and interpret epidemiological frequency and association measures.
  • Understand and assess how, when, and in which direction systematic errors (bias) can distort the results of epidemiological studies. Furthermore, assess whether effect modification, mediation, and confounding occur in epidemiological studies.
  • Rank epidemiological studies according to the hierarchy of evidence.

 

Competences

  • Analyze, interpret, and discuss frequency and association measures.
  • Critically assess the internal validity of epidemiological studies.
  • Assess whether epidemiological evidence can be generalized (external validity).
  • Be critical of the importance of data collection for valid conclusions.
  • Category
  • Hours
  • Lectures
  • 13
  • Class Instruction
  • 20
  • Preparation
  • 169
  • Exam
  • 4
  • English
  • 206

Kursusinformation

Language
English
Course number
SITB23001U
ECTS
7,5 ECTS
Programme level
Bachelor
Duration

1 semester

Placement
Spring
Schedulegroup
See Syllabus
Capacity
35
Studyboard
Study Board of Health Informatics
Contracting department
  • Department of Public Health
Contracting faculty
  • Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences
Course Coordinator
  • Tibor V Varga   (11-766b6471743078637469634275777066306d7730666d)
Teacher

Leonie K Elsenburg
Rene de Vries

Saved on the 24-09-2024

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