Epidemiology — Introduction and Fundamentals

Public Health and Epidemiology · Clinical Bases

How it begins

An exhaustive and rigorous compendium of the science of population health. From the formal analysis of the causality models of Hill, Rothman and counterfactual models, to the mathematical deduction of biostatistical parameters, confounding control, systematic biases, diagnostic screening theory and contemporary scientific evidence synthesis methodologies.

What it covers

1. Historical Evolution and Paradigms
2. · Fundamental Milestones in the History of Epidemiology
3. · Transition of Paradigms in Epidemiology
4. Concept of Causality in Epidemiology
5. · 1. Koch-Henle Postulates and Their Clinical Limitations
6. · 2. Bradford Hill Criteria of Causal Inference (1965)
7. · 3. Rothman Causality Model (Sufficient Cause and Component Cause)
8. · 4. Contemporary Causal Inference Models: DAGs and Counterfactual
9. Disease Frequency Measurements
10. · Definition of Epidemiological Fractions
11. · Prevalence vs. Incidence
12. Measures of Association and Effect
13. · 1. Classic Association Measures
14. · 2. Absolute Impact Measures (Clinical Trials)
15. · 3. Population Impact Measures
16. Descriptive Observational Designs
17. · Systemic Classification of Descriptive Studies
18. Observational Analytical Designs
19. · 1. Cohort Studies
20. · 2. Case and Control Studies
21. · 3. Advanced Hybrid Variations
22. Experimental Intervention Designs
23. · 1. The Randomized Controlled Clinical Trial (RCT)
24. · 2. Design Structures in ECCAs
25. · 3. Analysis by Intention to Treat (ITT) vs. By Protocol (PP)
26. Validity and Systematic Biases
27. · 1. Selection Biases
28. · 2. Information or Classification Biases
29. Confusion and Effect Modification
30. · 1. Formal Criteria of a Confounding Variable
31. · 2. Confusion Control Strategies
32. · 3. Effect Modification (Interaction)
33. Diagnostic and Screening Tests
34. · 1. Classic Contingency Matrix $2 \times 2$
35. · 2. Intrinsic Validity and Clinical Performance Parameters
36. · 3. Likelihood Ratios (Likelihood Ratios — LR)
37. · 4. ROC (Receiver Operating Characteristic) Curves
38. Epidemiological Surveillance and Outbreaks
39. · 1. Types of Surveillance Systems
40. · 2. Methodological Sequence of an Outbreak Investigation
41. Precision, Hypothesis and Random Error
42. · 1. Hypothesis Testing and Decision Errors
43. · 2. The P-value and Confidence Intervals
44. Reviews, Meta-analysis and EBM
45. · 1. Systematic Reviews vs. Narrative Reviews
46. · 2. Fundamental Concepts of Metaanalysis
47. Practical Cases and Expert Calculations
48. · Case 1: Oncology and Confusion Adjustment Cohort
49. · Case 2: Cases and Controls in Rare Autoimmune Disease
50. · Case 3: Food Toxifection Outbreak Investigation
51. · Case 4: Bayesian Evaluation of the Population Screening Program