Unit VETERINARY EPIDEMIOLOGY

Course
Veterinary medicine
Study-unit Code
GP005417
Curriculum
In all curricula
Teacher
Maria Luisa Marenzoni
Teachers
  • Maria Luisa Marenzoni
Hours
  • 26 ore - Maria Luisa Marenzoni
CFU
2
Course Regulation
Coorte 2021
Offered
2022/23
Learning activities
Caratterizzante
Area
Discipline delle malattie infettive ed infestive
Academic discipline
VET/05
Type of study-unit
Obbligatorio (Required)
Type of learning activities
Attività formativa monodisciplinare
Language of instruction
Italian
Contents
Introduction to Epidemiology: definition, history and uses. Descriptive, analytical and experimental epidemiology.
Transmission and maintenance of infection. Trends in the distribution of disease.
Measures of disease occurrence: prevalence, incidence, mortality, case-fatality.
Analytical epidemiology: measures of association (Odds Ratio and Relative Risk). Determinants of disease. Multifactorial diseases; Koch's postulates, Evans' rules. Association and causality in the Epidemiology. Hill’s rules.
Sampling: basic concepts.
Evidence based Veterinary Medicine (EBVM). Clinical governance.
Types of study in epidemiology: observational and experimental studies. Study design: systematic revision and meta-analysis; blinded and double blinded randomized clinical trials; cohort study; case-control study; cross-sectional study; description of cases and case series.
Surveillance. Nature and collection of data. Monitoring, control and eradication plans.
Outbreak investigations. Patterns of disease occurrence: epidemic curves.
Diagnostic testing in epidemiology: evaluation and interpretation of qualitative and quantitative tests.
Statistical and biological significance.
Seminar entitled "Biblioteca - Bibliographic Research and Scientific Information", conducted in collaboration with the staff of the Centro Servizi Bibliotecari.
Seminar entitled " Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale dell’Umbria e delle Marche and the Epidemiological Observatory" conducted in collaboration with the Head of the Epidemiological Observatory of Umbria and Marche.

Practical activities are held in the computer classroom and are the following: scientific papers and Evidence Based Medicine: research of scientific papers; tutorial on major measures of central trend and dispersion and statistical test application using spreadsheets; calculation of the main parameters of a statistical test and association measures (Odds Ratio and Relative Risk) through spreadsheet and OpenEpi software; calculation of the main parameters of a diagnostic test through spreadsheet and OpenEpi software.
Reference texts
Appunti di Epidemiologia Veterinaria, di E. Bottarelli, available at: www.quadernodiepidemiologia.it/epi/HomePage.html

Ezio Bottarelli, Fabio Ostanello: Epidemiologia, Teoria ed esempi di Medicina veterinaria. Edagricole, Bologna, 2011.

For further information:
Veterinary Epidemiology, fourth edition (2018), di M. Thrusfield, Blackwell Publishing.

Slides of the lecturer will be available on the system unistudium. The access will be explained during the course.
Educational objectives
D1 - KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING
The main objective of the course of epidemiology is to learn a methodology applicable to all the disciplines of veterinary medicine, both clinical and basic, to understand how data can be collected, analysed, and summarized and how a correct information can be obtained.
The student must:
-know what descriptive, analytical and experimental epidemiology is;
-know the main methods of transmission and maintenance of the infection, as well as the main epidemiological cycles of infectious diseases;
-know, recognize and interpret the main epidemiological measures (measures of disease frequency: prevalence, incidence, mortality, lethality; association measures: Odds Ratio and Relative Risk);
-to recognize the determinants of diseases and to know the criteria of causality;
-know what multifactorial diseases are;
-know what the biases and confounding factors are;
-know how to apply a correct sampling and what are the main types of sampling;
-to know the Evidence Based Veterinary Medicine (EBVM);
-know what the study design is and recognize the main types of study (observational and experimental studies; systematic reviews and meta-analyzes; blinded and double-blind randomized clinical trials; cohort study; case-control studies; cross-sectional or cross-sectional studies -sectional; description of cases);
- know what the pyramid of evidence is;
- know the main surveillance plans (monitoring, control and eradication plans);
- know how to conduct an investigation into an outbreak;
- know what an epidemic curve is;
- know what is meant by diagnostic tests in epidemiology, know how to evaluate and interpret them for the purpose of diagnosis.

D2 - APPLYING KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING
At the end of the training the student must be able to:
- know how to use epidemiological measures (measures of disease frequency: prevalence, incidence, mortality, lethality; association measures: Odds Ratio and Relative Risk);
- know how to identify primary and secondary disease determinants;
- know how to recognize biases and confounding factors present in a study;
- know how to make a correct sampling;
- to search scientific papers in different bibliographic databases through Evidence Based Veterinary Medicine;
- know to recognize or use the most appropriate study design according to the purpose of the study;
- be able to recognize the relevance and correctness of a scientific study;
- know how to find and identify papers having major scientific evidence;
- be able to recognize the aims of a surveillance plan;
- know how to conduct an outbreak investigation;
- know how to interpret an epidemic curve;
- build a spreadsheet to use the main epidemiological measures and parameters of a diagnostic test;
- the ability to properly use epidemiological measures to synthesize data;
-applying epidemiological concepts to Public Health (correctness of sampling, value of diagnostic tests and surveillance plans).

D3 - MAKING JUDGMENT
At the end of the training the student will be able to:
- assess the impact of a disease in a population;
- how to read and interpret a scientific work in a critical manner;
- evaluate diagnostic tests with different performances;

D4 - COMMUNICATION
At the end of the training the student will be able to:
- know how to organize, prepare and present a speech on some aspects of epidemiology, using simple but technical terminology;
- support a discussion with people with different skills and different levels of preparation;
- demonstrate language properties, as well as the ability to use terminology that is sufficiently appropriate for a correct approach to the profession, which is also important for job interviews.

D5 - LIFELONG LEARNING SKILLS
At the end of the training the student will be able to:
-know where to consult up-to-date information, consult and understand technical scientific texts, bibliographic updates, in such a way as to employ them both in contexts usual for the profession, and in research or when new situations arise.
-have a sufficient background to guarantee an acceptable basis for continuing professional development throughout life, through continuous lifelong learning.
Teaching methods
The course consists of 18 hours face-to-face and 8 hours for practical training (for 4 groups), and it is organized as follows:
-lecturers on all the topics of the course;
-two seminars, one of them in collaborations with public institutions that work in Public Health (Istituto Zooprofilattico) about the application of the main concepts of surveillance in Public Health;
-four practical activities at the computer lab to work out a spreadsheet to study the main epidemiological measures, the performance of a diagnostic test and to perform a research oriented by Evidence Based Veterinary Medicine.
Extended program
Introduction to Epidemiology: definition, history and uses. Descriptive, analytical and experimental epidemiology (1.5 hours).

Transmission and maintenance of infection. Trends in the distribution of disease (1.5 hours).

Measures of disease occurrence: prevalence, incidence, mortality (1.5 hours).

Analytical epidemiology: measures of association (Odds Ratio e Rischio Relativo). Determinants of disease. Multifactorial diseases; Koch's postulates, Evans' rules. Association and causality in the Epidemiology. Hill’s rules (1.5 hours).

Sampling: basic concepts. Statistical and biological significance (1.5 hours).

Scientific papers. Evidence based Veterinary Medicine (EBVM). Clinical governance (1.5 hours).

Types of study in epidemiology: observational and experimental studies. Study design: systematic revision and meta-analysis; blinded and double blinded randomized clinical trials; cohort study; case-control study; cross-sectional study; description of cases and series of cases. Bias and confounding factors (1.5 hours).

Surveillance. Nature and collection of data. Monitoring, control and eradication plans (1.5 hours).

Outbreak investigations. Patterns of disease occurence: epidemic curves (1.5 hours).

Diagnostic testing in epidemiology: evaluation and interpretation (1.5 hours).

Seminar entitled "Biblioteca - Bibliographic Research and Scientific Information", conducted in collaboration with the staff of the Centro Servizi Bibliotecari (1.5 hours).

Seminar entitled " Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale dell’Umbria e delle Marche and the Epidemiological Observatory" conducted in collaboration with the Head of the Epidemiological Observatory Umbria and Marche (1.5 hours).

Practical activities:
Scientific papers and Evidence based Veterinary Medicine (2 hours); Tutorial on major measures of central trend and dispersion and statistical test application using spreadsheets (2 hours); calculation of the main parameters of a statistical test and association measures (Odds Ratio and Relative Risk) through spreadsheet and OpenEpi software (2 hours); main performance of the diagnostic tests through spreadsheet and OpenEpi software (2 hours).
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