General Epidemiology of Parasites

Objectives

After this unit, students should be able to:
1. To Understand epidemiological concepts and methods.
2. To Identify study design.
3. To Mention advantages and disadvantages per type of study.
4. To Compute and interpret frequency and association measures.
5. To List at least two components of epidemiological surveillance.
6. To Compute sensibility, specificity, predictive values.
7. To Interpret measures for test performance.
8. To Understand the basis of causual thinking in epidemiology.
9. To describe at least one sampling method.

General characterization

Code

1290010

Credits

2

Responsible teacher

Marta Pingarilho

Hours

Weekly - 2,5

Total - 23

Teaching language

Portuguese

Prerequisites

Not applicable

Bibliography

• Bhopal R. Concepts of epidemiology: an integrated introduction to ideas, theories, principles and methods of epidemiology. Oxford University Press; 2002.
• Gordis L. Epidemiology. 4th ed. Saunders Elsevier; 2009.
• Porta M, Greenland S, Last J. A dictionary of Epidemiology. 5th ed. New York: Oxford University Press; 2008.
• Rothman K. Epidemiology: an introduction. 2nd ed. Oxford University Press; 2012.

Teaching method

Expositive lectures are going to be used to present definitions and theoretical aspects of epidemiology. The active method will be used to discuss practical exercises and cases.

Evaluation method

Evaluation will consist of a final written exam with multiple choice questions, short answer questions and true and false questions.
The exam will correspond to a total of 100% of the final grade. The final grade will be given in a scale from 0 to 20. The student will be considered approved with a grade of 10 or more.
Students with less than 10 can do a second exam which will correspond to 100% of the final grade.

Subject matter

I. Introduction to epidemiology.
II. Type of studies.
III. Measures of frequency and association.
IV. Sampling: probabilistic and nonprobabilistic.
V. Error, bias, confounder and interaction.
VI. Epidemiological surveillance.
VII. Causual thinking in epidemiology.
VIII. Screening. Vaibility and accuracy of diagnostic tests.

Programs

Programs where the course is taught: