Curricular Unit:			Code:
Prophylaxis and Epidemiology			1202PEPI
Year:	Level:	Course:	Credits:
4	Master	Pharmaceutical Sciences	4 ects
Learning Period:		Language of Instruction:	Total Hours:
Winter Semester		Portuguese/English	52
Learning Outcomes of the Curricular Unit:
OA1- Understand the role of epidemiology in clinical practice and public health and prophylactic measures, at individual and collective levels; OA2- To describe health and disease measures, to know how to calculate them and apply them correctly; OA3- Describe the main epidemiological designs, indicate their correct applicability and interpret their results. To know how to differentiate in practice the main epidemiological designs; OA4- To know the steps of an epidemiological investigation. Differentiate the most common types of errors; understand the concept of data validity; explain the concept of confounding variable. Recognize the most common errors in epidemiological studies; OA5- Define the most common concepts and applications of statistical association and causality. Understand the meaning of the different postulates in the study of causality; OA6- Describe the characteristics of an early detection program. Estimate the main indexes of diagnostic tests and early detection.
Syllabus:
CP1. Importance of epidemiology in health. History and concept. Objectives and uses of epidemiology. Natural history of the disease. Prophylaxis and prophylactic measures. Epidemiology in clinical practice and public health. CP2. Measuring health and disease: measures of frequency (prevalence; probability of incidence and incidence rate); measures of association (OR, RR and r). CP3. Typology of epidemiological research: experimental, quasi-experimental and observational studies (descriptive and analytical). Professional performance based on scientific evidence. CP4. Planning of studies - some challenges: systematic errors; random errors; confusion. Validity of information. CP5. Causal inference. Models and causality criteria. CP6. Introduction to clinical epidemiology. Diagnosis and diagnostic tests: test operational characteristics and positive and negative predictive values. Screening: definition and criteria.
Demonstration of the Syllabus Coherence with the Curricular Unit's Objectives:
CP1. Importance of epidemiology and prophylaxis in health. Aims to reach OA1 CP2. Measuring health and disease. Aims to reach OA2 CP3. Typology of epidemiological investigation. Aims to reach OA3 CP4. Planning of studies. Aims to reach OA4 CP5. Causal inference. Aims to reach OA5 CP6. Introduction to clinical epidemiology. Aims to reach OA6
Teaching Methodologies (Including Evaluation):
M1 - Use of the e-learning platform to store teaching material (supporting texts developed by the teacher, scientific or other freely used articles and worksheets) that will be made available to students. M2 - The material provided will serve as support for problem-based studies that will be introduced as a teaching-learning tool. M3 - Autonomous research activities that will be based on development and research issues. M4 - Development of activities of synthesis of the basic contents, after oral exposure, where the students will have a proactive involvement. Evaluation It will consist of 2 summative evaluation tests, with both components (T+TP, with equal weighting). The first and second assessment will have a weighting of 50% of the final grade. The student must obtain a final average of 9.5 values or more. The minimum percentage of attendance in classes is the one established in the Pedagogical Regulations.
Demonstration of the Coherence between the Teaching Methodologies and the Learning Outcomes:
M1 - Use of the e-learning platform to store teaching material (supporting texts developed by the teacher, scientific or other freely used articles and worksheets) that will be made available to students. For the pursuit of all objectives. M2 - The material provided will serve as support for problem-based studies that will be introduced as a teaching-learning tool. For the pursuit of OA2, OA3 and OA6 M3 - Autonomous research activities that will be based on development and research issues. For the pursuit of OA1, OA4, OA5 M4 - Development of activities of synthesis of the basic contents, after oral exposition, where the students will have a proactive involvement. For the pursuit of all objectives. A. Theoretical Classes A.1. Description: Exhibition of updated, descriptive and organizational (type "lectures") supported by bibliography ("stimulus material") on concepts, theories and postulates that are the basis of programmatic content. Students are invited to answer questions, express and substantiate their opinion and contribute, and their creativity is stimulated. A.2 Objective: To provide knowledge for the development of skills in the course unit. The application of teaching methodologies adopted for the theoretical component aims at the acquisition and consolidation of knowledge in the technical-scientific field of the curricular unit, improving the ability to apply concepts to the resolution of practical problems and the student's orientation to autonomous learning. B. Theoretical-Practical Classes B.1. Description: They combine the theoretical dimension with the empirical dimension in order to combine, whenever possible, theoretical conceptions with practical applicability. B.2 Objective: To develop contextualized learning around key issues. The application of the teaching methodologies adopted for the theoretical-practical component aims to specifically improve the problem solving capacity, the training of implicit calculations and the identification of concepts in real scenario. Additionally, it also aims to improve the interpretation and critical analysis of results and scientific literature, stimulate research habits and self-learning. Thus, the interconnection and complementarity between the components of this curricular unit provide an adjusted balance between theoretical principles and their more practical application allowing the integrated development of skills and competences in epidemiology. The approach of the themes articulating moments of structured intervention by teachers with periods of collective appreciation around the issues under study and, of individual work, intends to emphasize the fact that the development of skills and competences is a holistic and continuous learning process with a strong contribution of commitment and personal reflection.
Reading:
1. Gordis L. Epidemiology. 6 th ed., Elsevier Saunders, 2018. ISBN: 9780323552295. 2. Greenberg RS et al. Medical Epidemiology: Population Health and effective health care, 5th ed., McGraw Hill, 2015. 3. International Epidemiological Association. A Dictionary of Epidemiology. Porta M (Editor). 6th ed., Oxford University Press. 2014. ISBN-13: 978-0199976737. 4. Friedman, GD. Primer of Epidemiology, 5th ed. McGraw-Hill, 2004. 5. Beaglehole, R; Bonita, R; Kjellström, T. Basic Epidemiology, 2nd ed., WHO, 2006. 6. Hernández-Aguado, I; Gil, MA; Delgado-Rodriguez, M; Bolumar-Montrull, F. Manual de Epidemiologia y Salud Publica para Licenciaturas y Diplomaturas en Ciencia de la Salud, 2ª ed., Editorial Médica Panamericana, 2011.