SPECIFIC SKILLS

C1. Differentiate the concepts of health and public health to understand health plans.

C2. Identify environmental, social and biological determinants of health.

C3. Explain the infectious process and prevention measures, recognizing transmission mechanisms and prevention measures.

TRANSVERSAL SKILL: ORAL COMMUNICATION

Communicate ideas and knowledge orally through a clear, orderly and synthetic exposition using different resources and adapting to the characteristics of the situation and the audience. (10% of the final evaluation)



LEARNING OUTCOMES

1. Identify the different factors that influence health.

Reflect on the current situation of the epidemiological pattern and the risks that influence it.

Relate the epidemiological pattern with the levels of prevention and interventions in the field of Public Health.

To reflect on the individual and social responsibility of health in society.

To reflect on the importance of educating the population in order to have an impact on higher levels of health.

To analyze the importance of the role biological determinants of health play in human beings.



2. Know how to identify the main mechanisms of the infectious process to break the infectious chain and know the appropriate measures to implement in the community.

Identify the stages of infectious disease.

Recognize the mechanisms involved in the infectious process.

Describe control measures for the prevention of nosocomial infections.

Identify the different infectious diseases according to the transmission model.

Describe and justify the nursing actions applied in the different phases of the infectious process to break the infectious chain.

1. Introduction to Public Health. Health determinants (6 hours).

1.1. Health and disease. Concept of health. Determinants of health. Public Health: concept and functions.

1.2. Environmental health determinants. Physical and chemical factors. Food contamination: water, soil, additives.

1.3. Social determinants of health. Social justice and health inequalities. Response to inequities.

1.4. Structural Interventions in Public Health. Health promotion. Health education.

1.5. Sanitary systems. Models. Spanish health system. Department of Health of the Basque Government and Osakidetza-Basque Health Service.



2. Biological determinants of health. Microbiology and immune system (12 hours)

2.1. Microbial world. Classification and nomenclature. Relationship to humans: colonization (normal microbiota), infection, disease.

2.2. Viruses and prions. Structure Classification. Viral reproduction.

2.3. Bacteria. The prokaryotic cell and its structures. Metabolism and bacterial growth. Basic concepts of bacterial genetics: plasmids, mutations, genetic exchange.

2.4. Fungi. Structure of fungal eukaryotic cells. Moulds and yeasts. Metabolism and growth. Dermatophytes. Superficial mycoses and deep mycoses.

2.5. Parasites. General characteristics. Protozoa and helminths. Protozoa. Metabolism and growth. Helminths. Nematodes and Platelmints.

2.6. Immune system. Unspecific immunity. Natural barriers. Unspecific mechanisms: inflammation, complement system, phagocytosis, NK cells, cytokines.

2.7. Specific immunity. General characteristics. Humoral immunity: B-lymphocytes and antibodies. Cellular immunity: major histocompatibility complex, antigen-presenting cells, T-lymphocytes. Primary and secondary response. Active and passive immunization.



3. Epidemiology and prevention of communicable diseases (24 hours)

3.1. Epidemiology. Concept and statistical methods. Epidemiology research designs: analytical, descriptive studies. Frequency measurements. Association and impact measures. Biases. Cases of causality.

3.2. Evaluation of diagnostic tests. Internal and external validity (Likelihood ratio) Validity of continuous tests: ROC curves. Secondary prevention: Screening

3.3. Public Health Information Systems. Surveys, registers and notification systems. Census system. Sampling system: national health survey. Obligatory notifiable diseases.

3.4. Communicable diseases. Presentation patterns. Epidemiological chain: etiological agent, reservoir/source of infection, carrier, susceptible host, transmission. Dynamics of transmissibility and disease. Quantitative aspects in epidemiology of communicable diseases. Measures for the prevention of infectious diseases.

3.5. Vaccines. Immunization. Systematic and non-systematic vaccines. Routes of administration. Contraindications. Age groups. Child and adult vaccination schedule. New vaccines. Special situations. Pregnancy and lactation. Vaccines of the traveller. Vaccine effectiveness, coverage

3.6. Antimicrobials. Mechanisms of resistance. Rational use of antibiotics.

3.7. Sexually transmitted infections. Etiological agents. Descriptive epidemiology. Prevention and treatment of STIs. Descriptive epidemiology of HIV infection. Risk factors. Prevention and treatment.

3.8. Viral hepatitis

3.9. Tuberculosis and legionellosis. Aetiological and clinical agent: diagnosis. Descriptive epidemiology. Prevention and control

3.10. Influenza and meningococcal disease.

3.11. Cholera, typhoid fever and polio.

3.12. Healthcare-associated infections. Sterilization, disinfection, antisepsis and asepsis. Hand washing. Isolation measures.

3.13. Food toxications and toxiinfections.

3.14. Malaria, dengue fever and yellow fever. Vector transmission.

3.15. Emerging infectious diseases. Eradication of infectious diseases.



LABORATORY PRACTICES (8h)

- Sample collection procedure and culture.

- Identification techniques and antibiogram

- Sterilization

- Hand washing. Maintenance of a sterile area.

- Elimination of residues contaminated with microorganisms.

- Observation and recording of data

LABORATORY PRACTICES are compulsory and will be carried out in daily sessions (from 1 to 2 hours) over the course of a week. Each student will only participate in the week assigned to him/her in the Public Health practices during the four-month period.

The SEMINARS will be held in 5 sessions of 2 hours throughout the term. The following topics, among others, will be discussed: Health Determinants, Hand Washing, National Epidemiological Surveillance Network, Vaccines and Sample Collection.

The final evaluation includes:

- Written multiple-choice test with short developmental or relationship questions.

- Practice in the laboratory and recording of observations in the laboratory notebook.

- Individual works: summaries, questionnaires related to the seminars.

- Group work in the seminars

- Oral exhibition of works.

GLOBAL EVALUATION: final written exam 70%, seminars 18% and laboratory 12% (It is necessary to pass 50% of the score assigned to the written exam).

The materials of obligatory use will be provided in the presentation of the subject

Basic bibliography

-Daniel S Goldberg. Public health ethics and the social determinants of health. Springer. 2017.



-Gianfranco Donelli. Advances in microbiology, infectious diseases and public health. Springer. 2016



-Alexander Krämer, Mirjam Kretzschmar, Klaus Krickeberg. Modern infectious disease epidemiology: concepts, methods, mathematical models, and public health. Spriger. 2010

In-depth bibliography

-Brunette G (editor-in-Chief). CDC Health Information for International Travel 2016. The Yellow Book. Oxford, 2016.

-Chen D, Wilson J (eds). Innovative Statistical Methods for Public Health Data. Springer International Publishing: Cham, 2015. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-18536-1

-Stanley A. Plotkin. History of vaccine development. Springer. 2011.

Journals

American Public Health Association (APHA): https://ajph.aphapublications.org/