Crunching the Numbers
This measure counts how many new cases of a disease occur over time.
What is incidence?
In the epidemiologic triad, this is the person or organism that gets the disease.
What is host?
Vaccines are an example of this level of prevention.
What is primary prevention?
He was the pioneer of vaccination.
Who is Edward Jenner?
This term describes how well a test can tell who has a disease and who does not.
What is validity?
This measure counts all existing cases of a disease at a specific time.
What is prevalence?
In the epidemiologic triad, crowding and sanitation are part of this component.
What is environment?
Another word used to describe the cause of a disease.
What is etiology?
This type of study randomly assigns participants to groups.
What is a randomized controlled trial?
When someone truly has a disease but the test result says they do not, this has occurred.
What is false negative?
This value tells you how likely it is that someone who tests positive truly has the disease.
What is a positive predictive value?
Transmission that occurs through direct contact between people is called this.
What is direct transmission?
This term describes how often different observers disagree when interpreting results.
What is interobserver variation?
He reduced maternal deaths by promoting handwashing.
Who is Ignaz Semmelweis?
This type of error happens when a study misses a real difference that actually exists.
What is a Type II error?
This measure is best used to describe the severity of a short-term, acute disease.
What is a case-fatality rate?
This term describes a disease that is constantly present in a specific area.
What is endemic?
This was the first disease ever eliminated worldwide through public health efforts.
What is smallpox?
This means disease no longer exists anywhere in the world.
What is eradication?
This term describes a study’s ability to detect a true effect when one exists.
What is power?
This measure tells you the proportion of the population that is currently sick at a given moment.
What is prevalence?
Mosquitoes are an example of this kind of disease transmitter.
What is a vector?
This type of prevention focuses on reducing complications after a disease has already occurred.
What is secondary prevention?
This 19th-century nurse and statistician, who improved hospital hygiene and was known as the Lady of the Lamp.
Who is Florence Nightingale?
This error occurs when a study concludes there is a difference, but in reality, there isn’t.
What is a Type I error?