Role of Epidemiology in Public Health

The following is a chart illustrating some of the available databases for public health planning. 

Table 1: a list of readily available databases, source: healthdata.gov 

The table above shows some of the readily available databases for information that can be used in coming up with initiatives for public health such as monitoring, evaluating, and planning at the state and national level. There are more than 4000 databases available on the healthdata.gov website, which reduces the possibility of one failing to get any information they require for public health planning. However, it is possible that some states may have failed to participate in some of the data collection topics which, when needed, may pose some problems on the state level. 

Epidemiology refers to the study of how often diseases occur among various groups of people while explaining the reason or these occurrences (( Friis & Sellers, 2014) . The study also evaluates the type of strategies and approaches the medical health officers can use in preventing illness and guides on the way of managing patients who have developed a particular kind of disease ( Ahrens & Pigeot, 2014) . Thus, epidemiology has been regarded as a public health science given its concentration on the distribution of events related to health in a given population while applying different approaches to control health problems ( Friis & Sellers, 2014) . 

Within the field of epidemiology, the term prevalence describes the measures of how much of a disease or condition is in a particular population at a given point (Husain, 2018). Prevalence provides figures for a given factor such as health status, injury, and disease at one point in time known as point prevalence or period called period prevalence ( Ahrens & Pigeot, 2014) . Period prevalence offers a better measure of the factor as it entails all cases in a given range of time as opposed to point prevalence that only offers case count on a particular day (Husain, 2018). However, point prevalence can be useful in the determination of an individual’s likelihood of having a disease. 

The incidence in the field of epidemiology is a term used to refer to a measure of the rate of occurrences of new cases of a condition or disease ( Friis & Sellers, 2014) . Incidence provides information on the number of instances of a factor such as health status, injury, and illness for a given time in a given population (Husain, 2018). Incidence provides information on the number of cases a particular factor has been affected by a given population based on a defined time (Husain, 2018). Incidence measures allow health officers in determining an individual's chance of being diagnosed with a particular disease over a defined time ( Friis & Sellers, 2014) . 

The report can also inform health officers of the way the pattern of the condition or disease changes within a given population or time. Incidence has always been confused with prevalence though the difference is that prevalence is a proportion of cases in a given demographic as opposed to the occurrence of new cases (Husain, 2018). Therefore, the incidence is used when conveying information regarding the risk of contracting a given disease, while prevalence indicates the way a disease has spread. 

Nurses can use prevalence and incidence reports to investigate trends in groups or aggregates to determine occurrences of diseases and injuries ( Curley, 2019) . Such information may be used by the nurses to identify people or population at high risk while monitoring the progress of diseases ( Ahrens & Pigeot, 2014) . The nurse can also use incidence and prevalence reports to specify areas of healthcare need before determining and prioritizing the size of the programs and evaluate the program impact. The use of prevalence can prove useful, especially among decision-makers, when they attempt to determine the target for investment in healthcare ( Ahrens & Pigeot, 2014) . For instance, the knowledge of the burden of a disease which is given by the prevalent number of the disease’s patient’s helps in predicting the need for certain facilities used in its treatment and the related costs ( Curley, 2019) . 

Therefore, prevalence can be used in determining the economic burden of a given condition or disease when estimating the direct health care costs associated with the disease. Apart from monetary cost, prevalence data can also be used when determining the burden in terms of morbidity, life expectancy, quality of life, and other indicators ( Curley, 2019) . Incidence data can be appropriate when determining the risk that a subject within a given population will develop a given disease over a specific period. 

For instance, incidence data can be used to determine the number of patients of a given category like age who are at risk of dying from a particular disease like a cardiovascular disease for a given time. Incidence data could also be used when determining the sexual behaviour that is associated with the highest risk of being infected with HIV. Such data can be collected from a group like female prostitutes for a given duration. Incidence data can also be used when comparing rates of coronary artery disease in postmenopausal women who used and who did not use hormone replacement therapy (HRT). 

The healthy people program was a nationwide campaign for promoting health and preventing diseases under the USDHHS. The objectives were first introduced in 1979 as a response to concerns the national health priorities were to be oriented towards preventing diseases (Healthypeople.gov, 2020). The department issued the first health people objectives of health, education, and welfare which announced the goals of a ten-year plan to reducing health risks that could be controlled (Healthypeople.gov, 2020). The vision of this campaign was to create mechanisms for a healthy society. 

The mission was to the identification of strategies for improving health outcomes, increasing public knowledge regarding health, and provide measurable objectives and goals applicable to all level of government. The program’s mission also involved engaging various stakeholders in coming up with strategies for strengthening health policies (Healthypeople.gov, 2020). The plan also aimed at identifying areas for research and development. Through a bold consultation process, the health people 2010 was developed being guided by the best scientific knowledge with the aim of reaching for overarching goals. 

The main goals were in achieving a healthy society where people were protected from preventable diseases that might affect their lives (Healthypeople.gov, 2020). Another goal was achieving equality in the provision of health services through the elimination of any form of disparities. The healthy people objectives also aimed at creating a suitable environment that advocated for good health for all and promoted quality of life, healthy behaviour across all life stages, and healthy development (Healthypeople.gov, 2020). As a result, six hundred objectives were developed to align with more than forty topics of interest in health. 

On an individual basis, I have used healthy people objectives in various areas of my daily life. For instance, I have taken medical insurance to improve access to health services. I have also taken measures towards reducing incidences that may contribute to injuries. I have also used the substance abuse objective within the family context and ensured that my siblings avoid using alcohol and illicit drugs which helps move healthy people 2020 target higher. 

A nurse epidemiologist refers to nursing profession focusing on ensuring that optimal care is provided to every patient while reducing the risk of infection through the adoption of various preventive measures and strategies for controlling infection ( Curley, 2019) . Epidemiology is essential for population nursing practice as it offers considerable benefits to the way nurses incorporate health-related practice in their professional role. Knowledge of epidemiology helps nurses to become more active in assisting determine healthy policy issues. 

References 

Ahrens, W., & Pigeot, I. (Eds.). (2014).  Handbook of Epidemiology  (Vol. 451). New York, NY: Springer. 

Curley, A. L. (2019).  Population-based nursing: Concepts and competencies for advanced practice . Springer Publishing Company. 

Friis, R. H., & Sellers, T. A. (2014).  Epidemiology for public health practice . Jones & Bartlett Publishers. 

healthdata.gov. (2020).  HealthData.gov . Healthdata.gov. Retrieved 11 March 2020, from https://healthdata.gov/ 

Healthypeople.gov.(2020).Retrieved11March2020,from https://www.healthypeople.gov/2020/leading-health-indicators/Healthy-People-2020-Leading-Health-Indicators%3A-Progress-Update 

Husain, S. (2018). Ask an Epi: Incidence vs Prevalence [Blog]. Retrieved 11 March 2020, from https://www.livestories.com/blog/ask-an-epi-incidence-vs-prevalence.