aVLOZ0141c Public Health I - practice

Faculty of Medicine
autumn 2023
Extent and Intensity
0/1/0. 1 credit(s). Type of Completion: z (credit).
Teacher(s)
prof. MUDr. Bc. Zuzana Derflerová Brázdová, DrSc. (seminar tutor)
Mgr. Bc. Michal Koščík, Ph.D. (seminar tutor)
Abanoub Riad, Ph.D. (seminar tutor)
Ing. Veronika Išová (assistant)
Mgr. Pavlína Kaňová, Ph.D. (assistant)
Ing. Kateřina Novohradská (assistant)
Guaranteed by
Mgr. Bc. Michal Koščík, Ph.D.
Department of Public Health – Theoretical Departments – Faculty of Medicine
Contact Person: Ing. Veronika Išová
Supplier department: Department of Public Health – Theoretical Departments – Faculty of Medicine
Timetable of Seminar Groups
aVLOZ0141c/30: Tue 26. 9. 16:30–18:10 C15/333, Tue 10. 10. 16:30–18:10 C15/333, Tue 24. 10. 16:30–18:10 C15/333, Tue 7. 11. 16:30–18:10 C15/333, Tue 21. 11. 16:30–18:10 C15/333, Tue 5. 12. 16:30–18:10 C15/333, Tue 19. 12. 16:30–18:10 C15/333, A. Riad
aVLOZ0141c/31: Fri 29. 9. 13:00–14:40 C15/333, Fri 13. 10. 13:00–14:40 C15/333, Fri 27. 10. 13:00–14:40 C15/333, Fri 10. 11. 13:00–14:40 C15/333, Fri 24. 11. 13:00–14:40 C15/333, Fri 8. 12. 13:00–14:40 C15/333, Fri 22. 12. 13:00–14:40 C15/333, A. Riad
aVLOZ0141c/32: Thu 12. 10. 16:00–17:40 A21/108, Thu 26. 10. 16:00–17:40 A21/108, Thu 9. 11. 16:00–17:40 A21/108, Thu 23. 11. 16:00–17:40 A21/108, Thu 7. 12. 16:00–17:40 A21/108, Thu 21. 12. 16:00–17:40 A21/108, A. Riad
aVLOZ0141c/33: Thu 21. 9. 16:00–17:40 C15/309, Thu 5. 10. 16:00–17:40 C15/309, Thu 19. 10. 16:00–17:40 C15/309, Thu 2. 11. 16:00–17:40 C15/309, Thu 16. 11. 16:00–17:40 C15/309, Thu 30. 11. 16:00–17:40 C15/309, Thu 14. 12. 16:00–17:40 C15/309, A. Riad
aVLOZ0141c/34: Tue 19. 9. 8:00–9:40 C15/333, Tue 3. 10. 8:00–9:40 C15/333, Tue 17. 10. 8:00–9:40 C15/333, Tue 31. 10. 8:00–9:40 C15/333, Tue 14. 11. 8:00–9:40 C15/333, Tue 28. 11. 8:00–9:40 C15/333, Tue 12. 12. 8:00–9:40 C15/333, A. Riad
aVLOZ0141c/35: Tue 26. 9. 8:00–9:40 C15/333, Tue 10. 10. 8:00–9:40 C15/333, Tue 24. 10. 8:00–9:40 C15/333, Tue 7. 11. 8:00–9:40 C15/333, Tue 21. 11. 8:00–9:40 C15/333, Tue 5. 12. 8:00–9:40 C15/333, Tue 19. 12. 8:00–9:40 C15/333, A. Riad
aVLOZ0141c/36: Tue 19. 9. 16:30–18:10 C15/333, Tue 3. 10. 16:30–18:10 C15/333, Tue 17. 10. 16:30–18:10 C15/333, Tue 31. 10. 16:30–18:10 C15/333, Tue 14. 11. 16:30–18:10 C15/333, Tue 28. 11. 16:30–18:10 C15/333, Tue 12. 12. 16:30–18:10 C15/333, A. Riad
aVLOZ0141c/37: Mon 25. 9. 8:00–9:40 C15/309, Mon 9. 10. 8:00–9:40 C15/309, Mon 23. 10. 8:00–9:40 C15/309, Mon 6. 11. 8:00–9:40 C15/309, Mon 20. 11. 8:00–9:40 C15/309, Mon 4. 12. 8:00–9:40 C15/309, Mon 18. 12. 8:00–9:40 C15/309, A. Riad
aVLOZ0141c/38: Mon 18. 9. 8:00–9:40 C15/333, Mon 2. 10. 8:00–9:40 C15/333, Mon 16. 10. 8:00–9:40 C15/333, Mon 30. 10. 8:00–9:40 C15/333, Mon 13. 11. 8:00–9:40 C15/333, Mon 27. 11. 8:00–9:40 C15/333, Mon 11. 12. 8:00–9:40 C15/333, A. Riad
aVLOZ0141c/39: Fri 22. 9. 13:00–14:40 C15/333, Fri 6. 10. 13:00–14:40 C15/333, Fri 20. 10. 13:00–14:40 C15/333, Fri 3. 11. 13:00–14:40 C15/333, Fri 1. 12. 13:00–14:40 C15/333, Fri 15. 12. 13:00–14:40 C15/333, A. Riad
Prerequisites
For the course Public Health I - practice targeted at first-semester medical students, there are no formal prerequisites related to prior courses. However, it's important to note that the course primarily focuses on clinical epidemiology and social medicine. Therefore, students are expected to have a solid foundation in mathematics and statistics, equivalent to a high school level of knowledge in elementary statistics.
To help incoming students refresh their statistical knowledge, the following pre-reading topics are strongly recommended:
■ Rates and Ratios: https://www.statisticshowto.com/ratios-and-rates
■ Measures of Central Tendency: https://www.statisticshowto.com/probability-and-statistics/statistics-definitions/mean-median-mode
■ Measures of Dispersion: https://www.statisticshowto.com/probability-and-statistics/standard-deviation
https://www.statisticshowto.com/probability-and-statistics/interquartile-range
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is only offered to the students of the study fields the course is directly associated with.
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
Course objectives
The course of Public Health I - practice aims to provide first-year medical students with a foundational understanding of critical concepts in epidemiology and public health. Furthermore, one of the notable advantages of this course is that it is meticulously designed to align with the United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE). Upon successful completion of this course, students will not only have developed the skills and knowledge necessary to define health, comprehend theories of disease etiology, analyze disease's natural history, apply measures of disease frequency, explore levels of disease prevention, understand diagnostic accuracy, master various study designs in epidemiology, navigate medical statistics, and practice evidence-based medicine, but they will also be well-prepared to excel in the USMLE Part I, specifically in the section of Biostatistics, Epidemiology/Population Health, & Interpretation of the Medical Literature.
Additionally, it's worth noting that the course materials are based on the United Kingdom Faculty of Public Health (UK-FPH) examination preparation materials, known as the Public Health Textbook®. This comprehensive training sets the stage for the academic and professional pursuits of our students in the field of public health and medicine, ensuring they are equipped with the essential knowledge to excel on an international scale.
Learning outcomes
By the end of this course, students will be able to:
■ Define health, disease, and key theories of disease causation.
■ Calculate measures of disease frequency including incidence and prevalence.
■ Differentiate levels of preventive medicine and apply concepts related to screening and diagnosis.
■ Compare epidemiologic study designs and identify their strengths, limitations, and biases.
■ Apply concepts of hypothesis testing, probability, variables, and statistical tests.
■ Formulate clinical questions, search literature, and critically appraise evidence.
■ Interpret statistical analyses including measures of association and forest plots.
■ Evaluate evidence for causality using criteria such as Hill's guidelines.
Syllabus
  • 1. Health and Disease.
  • 2. Preventive Medicine.
  • 3. Epidemiologic Methodology.
  • 4. Medical Statistics.
  • 5. Evidence-based Medicine (EBM).
  • 6. Causality in Epidemiology.
Literature
    required literature
  • FLETCHER, Grant. Clinical Epidemiology: The Essentials. 6th ed. Wolters Kluwer Health, 2020, 288 pp. ISBN 978-1-9751-0955-4. info
  • FPH, Faculty of Public Health. Public Health Textbook. London: Faculty of Public Health (FPH), 2023. Public Health Textbook info
    recommended literature
  • Bonita R, Beaglehole R, Kjellström: Basic epidemiology. 2nd edition. Geneva - Switzerland: World Health Organization; 2006. 212 pages. ISBN 978-92-4-154707-9.
  • U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES: Principles of Epidemiology in Public Health Practice: Third Edition. An Introduction to Applied Epidemiology and Biostatistics. October 2006 - Updated May 2012. SELF-STUDY Course SS1978
Teaching methods
Seminars/practices and class discussion.
Reading and studying all required literature.
Assessment methods
Evaluation System
The subject of Public Health I is divided into two collateral courses; aVLOZ0141p (for theoretical lectures) and aVLOZ0141c (for practical seminars), that took place simultaneously during the 1st semester (1st year) of the General Medicine study program. Students are entitled to acquire 2 ECTS (European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System) credits upon successful completion of the course.
The two courses of Public Health I are mutually dependent, which means that the student has to acquire the 1 ECTS credit of the seminars (aVLOZ0141c) to be qualified for the final (written) exam, which will award them the second 1 ECTS credit.
The evaluation system of the seminars (aVLOZ0141c) consists of 18 points that are claimable through attending (and active participation in) the seminars and successful fulfilment of the seminars assignments.
Attendance (and active participation) of each seminar will award the student 1 point (x6 points), and successful fulfilment of each ROPOT assignment will award the student 1 point (x6 points). In addition, students are entitled to gain 2 points from ROPOT assignments of the lectures.
The final group project can award the student up to 4 points, and the project will be presented in the last week of the course.
Students are entitled to sit for the final exam if they achieve 14 out of 18 points.

Attendance
You are expected to attend all the seminars on time.
Late coming is defined as the arrival to the seminar room 5 minutes later than the scheduled time of the seminar. Latecomers are not entitled to enter the seminar room without a prospective excuse. On extraordinary occasions, latecomers without prospective apologies may enter the seminar room, and such permission is up to the discretion of the seminar tutor on a case-by-case basis.
The location of your seminar room is precisely mentioned in your academic timetable.

ROPOT Assignments
The assignments aim to provide a self-assessment tool for the students to evaluate their performance in studying modules content. Therefore, the students are highly encouraged to resolve assignments honestly and after preparing properly for them.
A total of 8 ROPOT assignments (6 seminar ROPOTs + 2 lecture ROPOTs) will be released throughout the semester. Each assignment contains 20-30 multiple-choice questions (MCQ) with a single correct answer.
The students will have one week to submit their assignments after the day of its release. If the student does not achieve the passing score of the ROPOT assignment (70%), they will be entitled to retake it in the following week. If the students do not submit their assignments on time, there will be no chance of re-taking the assignment in the second week. Please note that the assignment application (ROPOT) is a single log-in application; therefore, you will be required to finish your assignment once you open the application.
Language of instruction
English
Further comments (probably available only in Czech)
Study Materials
The course is taught annually.
Information on the extent and intensity of the course: 15.
Listed among pre-requisites of other courses
The course is also listed under the following terms Autumn 2017, autumn 2018, autumn 2019, autumn 2020, autumn 2021, autumn 2022, autumn 2024.
  • Enrolment Statistics (autumn 2023, recent)
  • Permalink: https://is.muni.cz/course/med/autumn2023/aVLOZ0141c