Public Health Chapter 3

Deals with the methods for collecting, compiling, and presenting health information

Deals with how we perceive information, combine information, and use information to make descisions

Collecting data, compiling information, and presenting information

Presenting information, perceiving information, combining information, and decision making

Variety of methods used to collect public health data

Combining data from different sources to create integrated health data systems

Case reports of one or a small number of cases that alert to a new disease or resistant disease; ex. case reports of one incidence of SARS

Required by law and births and deaths key to defining leading causes or disease; reportable disease may be helpful in identifying changes over time

Surveys that help to draw conclusions about overall population and subgroups from representative samples

Provides early warnings or warning of previously unrecognized events; ex. influenza monitoring

Reports of effects by those affected; may help identify unrecognized or unusual events; ex. report of drug side effects

Use of symptom patterns to raise alert of possible new or increased disease; may be able to detect unexpected and subtle changes, such as bioterrorism or new epidemic producing commonly occurring symptoms

Measurements that summarize the health of populations

One of 2 measurements used to summarize population health status. Estimates the rate of death in the first year of life

One of 2 measurements used to summarize population health status. probability of dying at each year of life