Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases – HLTH 625

Course Description

This course provides the student with the knowledge base necessary to understand the mechanisms of infectious disease transmission, to select specific preventive methodologies in the control of particular diseases and to communicate the rationale for the various control methods.

Rationale

Even in the 21st century, infectious diseases continue to be a concern. In recent years, a number of new infectious agents have emerged to join an array of old nemeses. Understanding the epidemiology of these diseases is essential to eliminating the suffering they cause.

Course Assignment

Textbook readings and lecture presentations

Course Requirements Checklist

After reading the Course Syllabus and Student Expectations, the student will complete the related checklist found in the Course Overview.

Discussions (4)

Discussions are collaborative learning experiences. Therefore, the student is required to provide a 450-500-word thread in response to the provided prompt and reply to 2 other classmates’ threads with 200-250 words each. In the Discussion: Service Project, the student will select an organization in their local community that supports the ability to contribute public health insights. Once selected, 8 hours of volunteer time will be devoted to the organization, and the experience will be summarized and graded in the discussion. This fulfills a CEPH accreditation requirement. (CLOs: A, B, D, E F)

Journal Article Review Assignments (3)

The student will review 3 journal articles about a disease or topic found in the readings due in each of the even-numbered Module: Week. The student will write a 4–5-page paper in current AMA format that summarizes the selected article and critiques the findings of the article. The paper must include at least 5 references in addition to the course textbooks and biblical integration as warranted and theologically justified. (CLOs: A, B, C, D, E)

Disease Fact Sheet Assignments (3)

For this assignment, students will select three infectious diseases and write a fact sheet for each. For the first assignment, you will choose three diseases from Category A, for the second, three diseases from Category B, and for the third, three diseases from Category C. The list of diseases comes from the Disease Fact Sheet: National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease (NIAID) Reference List. Students will thus create three fact sheets of three diseases each for a total of nine diseases throughout the course. (CLOs: B, C, D, E)

Mini-Systematic Review: Evidence-Based Practice Assignment

Evidence-Based Practice Assignment During this course, the student will examine the literature published on one well-defined aspect of disease prevention and control, such as exploring the question “Is ____ {intervention} an effective method for preventing ____ {disease} in ____ {population}?” The student will use a clear and comprehensive systematic search strategy to identify ALL relevant primary research articles ever published on the topic, so the scope of the paper must be focused and constrained (quite narrow). The student will write a systematic review paper consisting of 8–10 pages (excluding the cover page, abstract, and references/bibliography), published in the current AMA format. The systematic review paper will (a) summarize medical and/or scientific information from the body of the available literature, (b) seek to answer specific scientific question(s), (c) utilize a clear, pre-specified, and reproducible method to systematically search, critically appraise, and synthesize information on a specific issue or topic, and (d) ensure the synthesized information is from multiple primary studies (research articles) that are related to each other by using techniques and strategies to reduce bias. (CLOs: B, C, D, E, F)

Service Learning Experience Project Assignment

During this course, the student will select an organization in their local community that supports the ability to contribute public health insights. Examples of organizations where service can take place include clinics, hospitals, community centers, non-profit agencies, businesses, government agencies, daycare centers, and assisted living facilities/nursing homes, etc.. Once the student has made their selection, they will devote 8 hours of volunteer time to the organization working on a project and/or task mutually agreed upon by the student and his/her point of contact with the organization. The student will share information about the organization he/she is working with during the Module 5: Week 5 Discussion and submit a reflection and log during Module 8: Week 8. (CLOs: A, B, C, D, E, F)