DNP-825 Descriptive Epidemiology Assignment: Public Health Nursing

This assignment delves into the principles of descriptive epidemiology, emphasizing its role in analyzing health data and identifying disease patterns within populations. It highlights the significance of person, place, and time in understanding the distribution of diseases. The assignment explores the relationship between descriptive epidemiology and nursing science, illustrating how epidemiologists use these methods to generate comprehensive accounts of population health, which can then be represented in graphs, maps, or tables. A contemporary example of disease spectrum, where public health professionals can develop more thorough and solid intervention strategies, including education and screening programs that can come in handy in lowering blood pressure is also discussed. The assignment further examines various epidemiological study designs, including cross-sectional, ecological, cohort, and case-control studies, to analyze at-risk populations. The conclusion underscores the essential role of epidemiology in public health and summarizes the key aspects of descriptive epidemiology and its methodologies.

Running Head: DESCRIPTIVE EPIDEMIOLOGY
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Descriptive Epidemiology
Student’s Name
Institutional Affiliation

DESCRIPTIVE EPIDEMIOLOGY 2
Descriptive Epidemiology
Descriptive epidemiology focuses on describing the allotments of various determinants
and disease. Most importantly it offers a method for systematizing and analyzing the data so that
it can be used in describing the disease variations based on frequency within populations by over
time and geographical areas such as a person, time, and place (Siegel, Miller & Jemal, 2018).
Additionally, the epidemiologists use descriptive epidemiology to discover different disease and
well-being trends and at the same time, it creates ways of arranging the resources among various
populations. Specifically, descriptive epidemiology can be used to produce hypotheses of an
etiologic study. Notably, the hypotheses that are generated through descriptive epidemiology
create a pathway for vital analytic epidemiology thus it becomes possible for testing the
prevailing relationships between the determinants, health outcomes, and diseases.
The Relationship and Role of Descriptive Epidemiology with Nursing Science
Descriptive epidemiology relates to the field of nursing science today that involves
dealing with concepts and nursing applications and other connected services. In this case,
descriptive epidemiology is used to identify the health issues that emerge, monitored, or reported
based on the health-related behaviours as well as the health condition in the populations (Motl,
McAuley, Sandroff & Hubbard, 2015). Further, it lays down the health priorities of populations
by examining the potential connections between the risk factors and health outcomes that can be
used to generate probable hypotheses concerning the possible disease determinants and also, it
notifies regarding the threats of bioterrorism and estimates the effectiveness of intervention
programs.

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As mentioned earlier, descriptive epidemiology contains the elements of time, person,
and place. Therefore, it plays a significant role in nursing science since the epidemiologists
analyze and compile information based on time, person, and the place is important in nursing
science since it is associated with various advantages (Li, Mello-Thoms & Brennan, 2016).
Moreover, the epidemiologists use the descriptive technology to generate a comprehensive
account about the health of various populations thus it can be illustrated in graphs, maps, or
tables.
To begin with the element of time, nursing science as a discipline evaluates the
application of descriptive epidemiology. Notably, any disease occurrence plays a significant role
in changing as time changes while at some point some changes that arise may occur
unpredictable and others regularly (Makino et al., 2015). Additionally, some conditions like
salmonellosis might transpire any time. However, in case of the health conditions that happen
based on seasons, the medical professionals determine their occurrence by placing various
measures. For example, the graph that includes date and time can be outlined in a two-dimension
graph that constitutes a y-axis that has several cases.
On the other hand, the person element in nursing science is used to analyze information
concerning an individual by employing the traits like sex or age, others that can be biological,
acquired, or conditions in which that they survive in. In this case, age is a vital element that is
used in descriptive epidemiology to stipulate the health of an individual.
Lastly, the place element involves the disease occurrence and it offers insights about the
prevalence of an illness based on the geographical aspect and how it changes in various
geographies. In case of doing characterization through a place, it appears like the place where a
disease resides or other appropriate geographical locations of the illness.

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A contemporary Example based on how Descriptive Epidemiology can be used in
Public Health Nursing
Epidemiology is referred to as the evaluation of diseases within populations. Notably, the
veterinarians as well other professionals who engage in preventive medicine and those in public
health apply the epidemiological techniques for outbreak exploration, disease surveillance, and
observational studies that are designed to recognize the risk factors that are associated with
zoonotic disease in human beings and animal inhabitants. The understanding of the risk factors
can be applied in directing further investigation and to execute the measures for disease control
in public health nursing. The application of Hazard analysis critical control point (HACCP)
systems is based on the data that is acquired through the epidemiological investigations (Patten et
al., 2015). Clinicians require experience and creativity in the entire treatment process that reflects
scientific knowledge. At the same time, the epidemiologists use the scientific technique of both
analytic and descriptive epidemiology, particularly while diagnosing the health condition of a
community. Creativity and knowledge can as well be employed in the planning of disease
prevention and control in the community.
A significant contemporary example based on the application of descriptive
epidemiology in public health nursing is the account of disease spectrum. Notably, disease
exemplifies the end-point in the biological system of a host during the change process. Even
though several disease agents are restricted in the alteration assortment, they focus on initiating
others like measles such that they contribute to an end-point of diversity in an illness. For
example, most of the measles-causing virus causes classical febrile that involves a disease of a
blotchy rash. Multiple epidemiological research studies have over the years been adopted to
explain the disease spectrums occurring as a result of certain agents and conditions. Cohort

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studies, for instance, are often adopted to explain how hypertension causes multiple major
diseases such as myocardial infarct, kidney disease, stroke, among others (Fayyad et al., 2017).
Through proper determination and identification of disease spectrums emanating from certain
infections and conditions, public health professionals can develop more thorough and solid
intervention strategies, including education and screening programs that can come in handy in
lowering blood pressure. This, in turn, will serve to reduce instances of stroke, myocardial
infarct, among other diseases related to hypertension. Overall, this means that epidemiology is
profoundly useful with regards to the determination of the disease spectrum and the ultimate
enhancement of public health nursing.
Epidemiology Components used to analyze at-risk populations
Cross-section study
This is one of the epidemiological design studies that is somewhat unique in nature in the
sense that it is normally conducted at a particular point in time. The initial step of this study
entails identifying the population of interest and drawing a sample from it. Cross-section study is
normally ideal for descriptive epidemiology because it assists in determining the prevalence of a
particular health condition (Stanhope & Lancaster, 2014). One of the most notable drawbacks of
cross-section study, however, is that it exhibits low response rates, which is essentially
associated with sample non-representation.
Ecological study
In this epidemiological study design, the analysis study is usually conducted on a specific
geographical region, as opposed to a single person (Spencer, Lay, & Kevan De Lopez, 2017). A
scatter graph, which is representative of specific nations, is normally used to display the

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connection between expected interest outcomes and possible exposure. Just like the cross-
section, however, ecological studies face the disadvantage of sample non-representation.
Cohort study
This entails identifying a certain population, determining their exposure from the
beginning, and thereafter making a follow up for a certain timeframe to ensure the possibility of
determining health findings (Mandl, Halfens & Lohrmann, 2015). Existing data or self-
questionnaires can be adopted to measure exposure and outcome.
Case-control study
This design normally compares a group of individuals bearing a certain condition. The
same population is used to derive cases and controls (Bombardier et al., 2017). This study is
ideally conducted to identify risk factors behind a certain condition through connecting exposure
status to cases and control.
Conclusion
In summary, epidemiology is certainly an essential embodiment of general public health
since it examines the general state of health in all human populations. Through a multitude of
strategies and methods, epidemiology effectively achieves its prime goals of determining public
health. Descriptive epidemiology outlines disease appearance and occurrence as per various
variables such as person, place, and time. Various types of descriptive epidemiology exist, one of
them being cross-section studies.

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References
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