HSC5040 · Introductory epidemiology

Overview

This unit is taken concurrently with HSC5051, as together they are prerequisites for clinical epidemiology elective units. Upon completion of this unit you will be able to measure frequencies of disease i.e. incidence, prevalence, "population at risk"; and measure associations in epidemiological studies; different study designs i.e. observational studies, experimental study designs; bias associated with study designs, misclassification, confounding and effect modification. You will critically appraise different epidemiological studies, apply diagnostic and screening tests, and examine outbreak investigation.

Offerings

Assessment

The Handbook does not list a final examination among the assessment items. That is not a guarantee there is none.

Assessment details may change. Please refer to the assessment information in Moodle closer to the start of the teaching period.

Requisites

Learning outcomes

1. Explain and contextualise the purposes of descriptive and analytical epidemiology;
2. Explain and contextualise the concepts of study questions, population, sampling, exposure assessment, bias and confounding;
3. Analyse the strengths and weaknesses of different epidemiological study designs;
4. Critically analyse epidemiological papers from the medical research and OHS literature;
5. Evaluate the adequacy of exposure assessment in epidemiological studies;
6. Interpret and communicate the results of epidemiological studies; and
7. Solve complex problems relating to the use of epidemiological concepts and study designs.

Workload

12 hours per week including two-hour weekly workshops for 10 weeks.

Student experience, not official rules. Nothing here changes what the Handbook says.