Descriptive Epidemiology: Data Sources and Data Collection

To prepare:
• Examine Table 3.2 in your Curley textbook. Select a topic from the table to use for this Discussion.
• Locate two scholarly articles that provide background information about the problem.
• Identify a specific population affected by your selected health problem.
• Research the patterns of the disease in your selected population using the epidemiologic characteristics of person, place, and time.
• Consider methods for obtaining data to examine the association you selected.
• Ask yourself: How would the methods I select influence the accuracy of case identification, definition, and diagnosis
Post a cohesive response that addresses the following:
• Describe your selected health problem using the epidemiologic model (person, place, and time), with a focus on the population affected by this problem.
• Discuss sampling methods you could use to collect primary data to describe and study your health problem.
• Identify two secondary data sources that you could use to collect the data needed to address this topic.
• Explain how these methods and sources would influence the completeness of case identification as well as the case definition/diagnostic criteria used.