The purpose of this module is: a) To enable you to read most of the relevant literature with understanding of the statistical content. b) To permit you to carry out some analysis of uni-variate and bi-variate data. And c) to prepare you for more complex forms of statistical analysis if you wish. As most of the calculations are done by computer the only pre-requisite knowledge is an understanding of simple arithmetic.
This module covers some key concepts of communicable disease transmission, surveillance and control. Topics include understanding the Public Health aspects of communicable disease, such as transmission, surveillance of diseases of public health importance in a given setting, application and design of control programmes, the epidemiology of common diseases, immunisation, and responding to an outbreak.
All communities are vulnerable to disaster and following the event would endeavour to limit the damage from it. Assessing and reducing the risks before a disaster occurs is as important as responding to it and dealing with the consequences; both need to be professional to be effective. This module has been developed to introduce you to the concepts and processes of emergency planning for and management of disasters within a developing world context.
The focus of the module will be on the evaluation of a range of policy and programmatic interventions, all of which have the ambition of improving health outcomes. Interventions may be preventive, curative, behavioural, inter-sectoral interventions (that may simultaneously focus on multiple sectors including, for example, improved water, health services, and education), and also routine health services, such as primary health care.
Evidence Based Practice is cited as the basis of all our public health and healthcare decisions, but what does that mean in practice? How do we know which evidence to use? When there is so much research evidence, why is there still so much controversy over the best course of public health action? The module covers how to formulate an answerable question, access, appraise, and use the evidence on a public health issue.
This module provides an introduction to health economics for those who want to understand the contribution of economics in the health of populations. It is oriented towards achieving the goal of Universal Health Care (UHC). The topics include sharing how economics plays a major role in healthcare, the relationship between health and socioeconomic development, healthcare financing and the road to UHC, economic evaluation in health care, and priority setting in health systems.
The implementation of the recommendations of the WHO in relation to Inequalities and the Social Determinants of Health on a global or regional scale requires key stakeholders to become aware and knowledgeable about the issues. It is therefore opportune to offer a basic course that is dedicated to global / regional health inequities and social determinants of health.
This module introduces the concepts underlying epidemiology and the main methods employed by the discipline. On completing the module students should have a good grasp of why epidemiology underpins much of the effort of those charged with promoting the health of populations and for providing services to meet health-related needs. Also, students should be beginning to approach published material based on epidemiological methods more critically.
Epidemiological concepts and methods are drawn upon in the other modules of the Peoples-uni course. Understanding these is essential to getting the best out of the other course units. Thus, if you are not acquainted with some epidemiology from elsewhere you should consider doing this module (and maybe Biostatistics) early on in your association with the Peoples-uni.
Maternal morbidity and mortality remain major problems in many parts of the world – one of the most important threats to Public Health. The purpose of the course module is to provide the people who may be able to help tackle the problem with the knowledge and skills to do so. We will focus on identifying the size of the problem, the causes, and the evidence base behind interventions to improve the situation. We will end by identifying ways to implement evidence based solutions in your own setting.
The final product of the Dissertation will be a report in which students are able to demonstrate an ability to apply critically reviewed evidence to a locally relevant public health problem. This will require a review and synthesis of the evidence, leading to a proposal for action to improve the health of a population, and a reflection on how the course has contributed to the proposal and to their own professional practice.