Part 2:Completing the assigned Disease Outbreak Case Study using your textbook and available resources. Each student is assigned a different outbreak scenario. You will be answering the questions in this case study as if you were a public health nurse investigating a disease outbreak, so the language needs to reflect that of epidemiology. You have numerous resources aside from your textbook including Interactive modules, TRAIN courses, supplemental resources provided below and those resources available within the Week 5 Blackboard Module (I would start on these early because it is not possible to complete this assignment without having a solid understanding of Week 5 content in epidemiology).
Part 3: After completing the Outbreak Investigation Activity you will answer 3 questions in the same word document that you submit for the Outbreak Investigation (see these questions listed below).
Instructions:
Each student will be assigned a different individual outbreak investigation case study to complete which you will find available in Week 4 Module in BB.
Answering the Questions: Each question throughout each of the assigned Outbreak Investigation case studies must be addressed and answered in sufficient detail to demonstrate knowledge, comprehension, and ability to apply the process of outbreak investigation with stems from epidemiology. This will require each response to the questions to have supporting evidence to validate your answer choices to receive full credit This means you cannot simply reply yes or no to the questions but must answer all the questions and then support the answer choices with supporting evidence or demonstrate why this is the correct answer choice. If you look at the grading rubric you will see that answering the questions with detailed support needs to demonstrate comprehension of the content for disease investigation to receive full credit for answers. Essentially it is important to provide a detailed rationale using references and resources to support each answer choice. Please recognize that these questions cannot be answered in a sentence or two. Each answer choice will require thought and usually a paragraph or more to fully answer the questions; there are NO responses that are answered using yes/no responses.
Format: Students will use a separate word document to answer the questions in the case study; unless there is a specific question that can only be answered with reference to the chart or data presented. Either way, each student will submit 2 documents to Blackboard (the original case study document along with the word document). The word document needs to be in APA 7th edition (of note I did not place many points on APA formatting in the grading rubric BUT I do need the paper well organized so that it is easy for me to follow the answers in the word document when compared to the case study. However, I do expect a title page, page numbers, an original name for the assignment, in-text references and a refence page). The word document should have to have headings that match those in the case study. Remember each answer response needs detailed supporting evidence which means each should be referenced in some way (CDC website or textbook or other supplemental sources). I NEED TO BE ABLE TO FOLLOW THE QUESTIONS IN THE ORIGINAL DOCUMENT WITH YOUR ANSWERS IN THE WORD DOCUMENT!!!!!!
Remaining questions below
Questions: After completing the outbreak investigation case study, please answer the following questions which are included as part of the grade for this assignment. I don’t want to put a specific length on these responses but each one should be at least a paragraph or two (perhaps more if needed). Answer the following questions:
a.Identify and explain two aspects of the case that you can apply to nursing practice as a community health nurse AND provide a detailed rationale for selecting these two aspects for application.
b.Explain at least three things/aspects that you learned from completing the case study. Make sure to provide a detailed and clear explanation for each of these choices.
c.Describes one or more aspects of the case study that was challenging, confusing or difficult to understand making sure to provide a clear and detailed explanation for this choice.
Additional Resources: To help you work through the case studies I think you will find the resources available on the CDC website particularly useful.
1.https://www.cdc.gov/training/quicklearns/
These Quick Learn lessons are intended for learners without an epidemiology background or those looking to refresh their skills. Lessons below help learners develop fundamental knowledge and skills in epidemiology. These include:
a.Creating an Epidemiological Curve
b.Mode of Spread
c.Period of Exposure
d.Recognizing the Biosafety Levels
2.https://www.cdc.gov/csels/dsepd/ss1978/index.html
By the way, THIS WEBSITE IS AMAZING, it provides short, brief lessons explaining all the main epidemiological principles and will really help you work through the case studies as well as providing you with the rationales and resources needed to answer the questions. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND BECOMING FAMILIAR AND USING THIS SITE TO COMPLETE THE EPIDEMIOLOGICAL CASE STUDIES THIS WILL YOU’RE YOUR LIFE A LOT EASIER (promise). Principles of Epidemiology in Public Health Practice, Third Edition: An Introduction to Applied Epidemiology and Biostatistics. This is an online version of a printed textbook by the CDC which of course you do not need to read in its entirety BUT what you will find are short easy to understand Lessons and sections within the lessons that breaks down the epidemiology process into an easy to read and understandable sections. You will find that by looking through the specific sections for each lesson you can locate the topic that is relates to the question you are encountering in the epidemiological case study.
Example 1: The case study asks if (based on the information you have been provided) the case can be considered an epidemic. Under Lesson 1 Section 11 there is a topic (brief, easy to read explanations) on Epidemic Disease Occurrence that reviews the Levels of Disease including the definitions for endemic, pandemic, and epidemics with a list of specific criteria explaining what constitutes epidemic (which can be referenced).
Example 2: The case study question asks for you to develop a preliminary case definition for your case study. Perhaps you are asking yourself what exactly a case definition in epidemiology is because remember the language being used here is epidemiological so though you might understand case definition different in nursing it is important to recognize these questions are asking you about the epidemiological process. You can then look at the CDC site and in Lesson 1 Section 5 the chapter provides an area on Defining a case which will help you put together the principles to correctly apply this to your assigned epidemiological case study.
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Compose the Disease Outbreak Case Study using your textbook and other resources. Each student has a unique epidemic situation. The language used in this case study should be that of an epidemiologist examining a disease outbreak. Aside from your textbook, you get access to interactive modules, TRAIN courses, extra resources, and the Week 5 Blackboard Module (I would start on these early because it is not possible to complete this assignment without having a solid understanding of Week 5 content in epidemiology).
Part 3: After completing the Outbreak Investigation Activity, answer 3 questions in the same word document (see these questions listed below).
Instructions:
Each student will be given an outbreak investigation case study to complete in the Week 4 Module in BB.
To demonstrate knowledge, comprehension, and capacity to apply the method of outbreak investigation with epidemiology, each question must be addressed and answered in sufficient detail. To earn full credit, each answer must be backed up with proof. That is, you must answer all questions and then provide evidence to back your response selections. According to the grading criteria, responding questions with detailed support demonstrates comprehension of the topic for disease study. Essentially, each response choice requires a full reasoning with references and resources. Recognize that some inquiries require more than a phrase or two. There are NO yes/no responses; each answer choice requires thinking and generally a paragraph or more to thoroughly answer the questions.
Format: Students will utilize a separate word document to answer case study questions unless a specific topic requires referencing a chart or statistics. Each student will upload 2 documents to Blackboard (the original case study document along with the word document). (Note that I did not give much weight to APA formatting in the rubric, but I do require the paper well ordered so I can easily follow the answers in the word document as opposed to the case study.) No title page, page numbers, assignment name, in-text references, or reference page). The word document’s headings must match the case study’s. Remember that each answer response requires comprehensive evidence, so each should be referenced (CDC website or textbook or other supplemental sources). WORD DOCUMENT ANSWERS TO ORIGINAL QUESTIONS!!!!!!
Questions left:
Questions: After completing the epidemic investigation case study, please answer the following questions. I won’t specify length, but each response should be at least a paragraph (perhaps more if needed). Answer the following:
a.Identify and describe two features of the case that you can apply to your community health nursing practice AND provide a clear reason for your selection.
b.Explain three things you learned from the case study. Be sure to explain your choices in full.
c.Explains one or more components of the case study that were difficult to understand.
Additional Materials: I think the CDC website’s resources will be very helpful in working through the case studies.
1.https://www.cdc.gov/training/quicklearns/
These Quick Learn lessons are for people new to epidemiology or wishing to brush up. The lessons below provide basic epidemiological information and abilities. These are:
a.Epidemiological Curve
b.Spread Mode
c.Exposure Period
d.Identifying Biosafety Zones
2.https://www.cdc.gov/csels/dsepd/ss1978/index.html
In addition to giving the rationales and information needed to solve the questions, THIS WEBSITE IS AMAZING. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND FAMILIARITY AND USE OF THIS SITE TO COMPLETE EPIDEMIOLOGICAL CASE STUDIES (promise). Principles of Epidemiology in Public Health Practice, 3ed. This is an online version of the CDC’s printed textbook, which you don’t have to read in its full. Lessons and portions within lessons that simplify the epidemiological procedure. You can identify the topic that connects to the epidemiology case study question by browsing through the appropriate sections for each class.
Example 1: The case study asks if the case is an epidemic based on the information supplied. The topic of Epidemic Disease Occurrence in Lesson 1 Section 11 discusses the Levels of Disease containing the definitions for endemic, pandemic, and epidemics with a list of precise criteria describing what characterizes epidemic (which can be referenced).
Example 2: Create a preliminary case definition for your case study. Remember that the language used here is epidemiological, so even if you view case definition differently in nursing, it is crucial to note that these questions are asking about the epidemiological process. The CDC site has a section on Defining a Case in Lesson 1 Section 5 that will help you put together the ideas to correctly apply to your assigned epidemiological case study.
CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL, EPIDEMIC INTELLIGENCE SERVICE New England Epidemiology Institute, 1992
AN EPIDEMIC DISEASE IN SOUTH CAROLINA
Objectives
After completing this case study, the student should be able to: 1. Apply the principles of descriptive epidemiology (time, place, person) in the investigation of a disease outbreak. 2. Characterize the epidemiology of a disease with appropriate tables, graphs, and charts, and generate hypotheses related to etiology. 3. Portray the relationships between descriptive epidemiologic characteristics and their roles in disease transmission and pathogenesis.
PART I
Note to Participants You may be familiar with this epidemic from previous courses or reading. In the spirit of the “unknown” nature of this exercise, please do not reveal the identity or etiology of this disease to your colleagues.
INTRODUCTION
Over a period of years, physicians in the rural southeastern United States reported the occurrence of a disease that had not been recognized previously. Since reporting was required in only one state, and since medical services were limited, recording of the incidence of this disease was irregular.
BACKGROUND
The disease in question, although easily diagnosed on clinical grounds, was of unknown etiology at the time. Pathogenesis, mode of spread, immunity, and the role of social and environmental factors were matters of controversy. Many theories concerning the nature of the disease were proposed.
In an effort to determine the extent of the disease, a questionnaire was mailed to all practicing physicians in eight states in the Southeast regarding the number of cases they had seen in the preceding 5 years. Only one-fourth of the physicians responded. They reported an increase from 622 to 7,017 cases over the 5-year interval.
The following year, a U.S. Public Health Service epidemiologist was assigned to investigate the epidemic. After some preliminary observations, a field survey was conducted to determine the extent and the nature of the disease.
QUESTION 1: into what general etiologic categories might one divide diseases that can occur in epidemic form?
