NR 503 FINAL EXAM

NR 503 Final Exam Study Guide: Chamberlain College of Nursing

1. Objectives of Epidemiology (Pages 2-7)
   • Step 1: Understanding the etiology or cause of a disease (risk factors).
   • Step 2: Finding out the extent that a disease or health problem affects a community or population.
   • Step 3: Determine the natural history or prognosis.
   • Step 4: Evaluate existing and newly developed preventative therapeutic measures and modes of healthcare delivery.
   • Step 5: Provide the foundation for developing public policy relating to environmental problems, genetic issues, and other considerations regarding disease prevention and health promotion.
2. Define, Compare, Calculate, and Interpret Measures of Morbidity (Pages 41-58)
   • a. Incidence Rate (Pages 41-51):
     • (# of NEW cases of a disease occurring in the population during a specified period of time / # of persons who are at risk of developing the disease during that period of time) x 1000 = Incidence rate per 1,000.
     • The NEW cases of a disease over a period of time.
   • b. Attack Rate (Page 46):
     • Special form of cumulative incidence.
     • Used for diseases of short observation time period.
     • Not a true rate because the time dimension is often uncertain (e.g., foodborne outbreaks).
     • Formula: (# of new cases among population during the period / population at risk at the beginning of the period) x 100 (expressed as a percentage).
   • c. Prevalence (Page 46):
     • The EXISTING cases of a disease over a period of time.
     • Formula: (# of cases of a disease present in the population at a specified time / # of persons in the population at that specified time) x 1,000 = Prevalence per 1,000.