Knowledge retention among students is a critical aspect to consider when it comes to their demonstration of understanding course content. More often than not, students are exposed to various course activities that are focused on testing their comprehension of taught content. However, one way that teachers and instructors are able to determine knowledge retention is through a reflective exercise. In this case, the concept map assignment is focused on addressing pertinent information about how I was able to meet course objectives. The role of the concept map is to mirror the connection between completed assignments as they relate to the overall course objectives. Thus, a focus on discussion boards and individual assignments will help explore how accomplishing such tasks allowed for realization of course objectives.
Part of the course requirement was demonstration of an understanding of various key terms which are epidemiology, community health, and population-based research. The course focuses on helping students have a clear understanding of how, for instance, to use health information about a particular target population in informing care decisions. My understanding of epidemiology is that it deals with the rate of incidence, distribution, alongside the potential for control of a particular disease. There is also consideration of other factors which might influence health outcomes such as access to medical services, language barriers, community’s awareness about particular health information, among other aspects. The description of community health is that it involves consideration of factors that might undermine the overall wellbeing of the population. Of critical importance is an understanding of the various determining factors of health such as access to health care services, availability of medical resources both human and non-human, efficient ways of communicating health information (for instance, in the event of infectious diseases); and measures to safeguard individuals from becoming vulnerable to diseases. Lastly, the concept of population-based research is closely tied to a particular community or target population whereby the researcher seeks particular data that affects the individuals’ health. A close link might not be established but factors affecting the ability to, for instance, afford medical services are considered. In this case, population-based research is somewhat specific.
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My understanding of the various key terms discussed above has been instrumental towards understanding what the course itself demands. In this case, one cannot study the rate of incidence of a disease without exploring a community’s health issues. For instance, in one of the assignments, I focused on the autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and basing on information acquired from the CDC, I found that children diagnosed with the said condition have greater health care needs and have difficulty receiving care (“Autism Spectrum Disorder”, 2019). The information itself demonstrates that compared to children with other mental health disorders, those that suffer from ASD demand more attention. As mentioned earlier on, community health is mainly about ensuring that different aspects of health are addressed to promote access to services alongside other things. However, it could be argued that children with ASD have no access to services that would address their needs holistically. For that reason, they become sidelined due to, for instance, inaccessibility or lack of funding for resources specific to their needs.
Fundamentally, an understanding of a community’s health status cannot be accomplished without application of data gathering techniques. Some of the study designs discussed were such as a randomized control trial, cohort study, case-control study and cross-sectional research. As stated, epidemiology is about the rate of incidence of a particular disease. However, such information cannot be identified unless there is a specific measure used to acquire it. In one of the assignments, I focused on lyme disease, an infectious disease. The objective was to give an overview of the disease and address certain aspects such as the determinants of health. I found that the risk of transmission is influenced by factors such as the time the tick remains attached to a host’s skin, density of ticks in the area, meteorological conditions, vegetation as well as type of activities (Keilp et al., 2018). Exposure to the said information allowed me to have an even clearer understanding of lyme disease as pertains to, for instance, prevalence in particular areas. It could be that the researchers, Keilp et al. (2018), used a cohort study thereby acquiring information from individuals sharing particular characteristics. In doing so, they were able to determine the factors likely to promote the incidences of lyme disease in a particular area. The focus on study designs allowed me to understand how different information is gathered and in what context, alongside other factors.
The goal of research is to promote utility in terms of the information acquired. Thus, looking at a case such as that of lyme disease, it becomes evident that health professionals can use the data to curb its spread. For instance, they could communicate to members of the society and warn them about the said disease outlining the factors promoting its spread. Combating a disease in such kind of a manner demonstrate the expected outcome of conducting a study. Further, it shows how information acquired can be applied in, for instance, decision-making about a community’s health care needs. Therefore, the assignments and discussions have, thus far, been instrumental towards helping me understand ways of gathering health data, what the results imply, and how knowledge gained can be applied.
References
Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) | CDC. (2019). Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/autism/index.html
Keilp, J., Corbera, K., Gorlyn, M., Oquendo, M., Mann, J., & Fallon, B. (2018). Neurocognition in Post-Treatment Lyme Disease and Major Depressive Disorder. Archives Of Clinical Neuropsychology . doi: 10.1093/arclin/acy083
