ANTC67H3 Chapter Notes - Chapter 2 (Pg 15-29): Case Fatality Rate, Cumulative Incidence, Prevalence
Document Summary
Chapter 2 (pg 15-29) measuring health & disease. Health - a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease of infirmity. Practical definitions of health and disease are needed in epidemiology because they need to be measurable and amendable to improvement. Need definition of normality and abnormality to establish presence of disease. Usually based on symptoms, signs, history and test results. In some situations there is a very simple criteria. Diagnostic criteria may change quite rapidly as knowledge increases or diagnostic techniques improve, also change according to the context in which they are being used. Baed on the concepts of prevalence and incidence. The correct estimate of the numbers of people under study people who are potentially susceptible to the diseases being studied. Population at risk - the people who are susceptible to a given disease. Population at risk can be defined by demographic, geographic or environmental factors.
