lesson2

Question 1

Front: What is public health surveillance?

Answer 1

Back: The ongoing, systematic collection, analysis, and interpretation of health data, integrated with timely dissemination to guide public health practice.

Question 2

Front: Who performs public health surveillance?

Answer 2

Back: Epidemiologists, doctors, nurses, pharmacies, health insurance providers, emergency responders, and public health departments.

Question 3

Front: Why is public health surveillance important?

Answer 3

Back: It estimates the size of health problems, identifies epidemics, monitors infectious agents, detects health practice changes, and supports emergency planning.

Question 4

Front: Where do we get public health surveillance data?

Answer 4

Back: From vital records, hospital records, surveys, schools, doctors, insurance companies, environmental monitoring, and animal health data.

Question 5

Front: What are the types of public health surveillance?

Answer 5

Back: Passive, active, and syndromic surveillance.

Question 6

Front: What is passive surveillance?

Answer 6

Back: Regular reporting of disease cases by labs, doctors, or other sources to health departments.

Question 7

Front: What is active surveillance?

Answer 7

Back: Health departments actively collect data from labs, healthcare providers, or the population for more accurate reporting.

Question 8

Front: What is syndromic surveillance?

Answer 8

Back: A system that uses clinical features (without lab diagnosis) to monitor syndromes like diarrhea or rash illnesses.

Question 9

Front: What is the purpose of sentinel surveillance?

Answer 9

Back: To monitor trends in specific conditions through preselected reporting sources like private practitioners or labs.

Question 10

Front: What are population-based surveys in surveillance?

Answer 10

Back: Regular surveys, like BRFSS, used to monitor behaviors or health conditions in a defined population.

Question 11

Front: What is laboratory-based surveillance?

Answer 11

Back: Monitoring diseases through lab tests to ensure quality data and detect outbreaks.

Question 12

Front: What is integrated disease surveillance and response (IDSR)?

Answer 12

Back: A strategy linking epidemiologic and lab data to integrate disease monitoring with public health response.

Question 13

Front: What are examples of public health surveillance use?

Answer 13

Back: Monitoring food poisoning, chronic diseases like obesity, infectious diseases like Ebola, and health threats after disasters.

Question 14

Front: What are indicators in surveillance?

Answer 14

Back: Measurable factors like new diarrhea cases or vaccination rates that estimate health problems and monitor interventions.

Question 15

Front: What is the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS)?

Answer 15

Back: An active system using repeated surveys to measure behaviors causing diseases or injuries, like smoking or lack of exercise.

Question 16

Front: What are the objectives of surveillance systems?

Answer 16

Back: To provide scientific data for informed decisions and guide interventions for public health actions.

Question 17

Front: What are the principles of surveillance?

Answer 17

Back: Providing valid, timely, cost-effective information for decision-making while aligning objectives with the correct data systems.

Question 18

Front: What steps are needed to establish a surveillance system?

Answer 18

Back: Commitment of political support, human and financial resources, and following six steps to set up the system.

Question 19

Front: How is surveillance data analyzed?

Answer 19

Back: By person, place, and time using tables, graphs, and expert reviews for accuracy and usability.

Question 20

Front: What is Epi Info?

Answer 20

Back: A program developed by the CDC for epidemiology and biostatistics, widely used to analyze surveillance data.

Question 21

Front: How does public health surveillance improve health systems?e

Answer 21

Back: By linking surveillance data to policy and programs, targeting interventions, and documenting impacts on the population.

Question 22

Front: What are the challenges of surveillance in developing countries?

Answer 22

Back: Ensuring data quality and timeliness in decentralized systems and providing adequate training to local decision-makers.

Question 23

Front: What is environmental public health surveillance?

Answer 23

Back: Monitoring hazards, exposures, and outcomes to address environmental health risks.

Question 24

Front: What is the economic benefit of surveillance systems?

Answer 24

Back: Surveillance prevents costs by identifying and controlling diseases before expensive treatments are needed.

Question 25

Front: What does an ideal surveillance system look like?

Answer 25

Back: Simple, timely, representative, flexible, sensitive, cost-effective, and acceptable to the public and providers.

Question 26

Front: What is routine health information system surveillance?

Answer 26

Back: A passive system where health staff regularly report on diseases and programs.

Question 27

Front: What is the role of field epidemiologists in surveillance?

Answer 27

Back: To design, implement, and evaluate surveillance, analyze data, and recommend practical public health actions.

Question 28

Front: What are examples of chronic disease surveillance?

Answer 28

Back: Monitoring diseases like asthma, cardiovascular diseases, and obesity.

Question 29

Front: What are examples of data sources for surveillance?

Answer 29

Back: Birth records, death certificates, hospital records, environmental monitoring, and animal health data.

Question 30

Front: How does technology improve surveillance systems?

Answer 30

Back: By facilitating data collection, analysis, and use through compatible systems and global data standards.