Question 1

A nurse states incorporating epidemiology into practice and functions in epidemiologic roles. Which of the following best describes the actions taken by the nurse? (Select all that apply.)

Accepted Answer

A)   Policy making
B)   Collection, reporting, analysis, and interpretation of data
C)   Environmental risk communication
D)   Documentation on patient charts and records
E)   Law enforcement B, C, D

Question 2

A screening for diabetes revealed 20 previously diagnosed diabetics and 10 probable new cases, which were later confirmed, for a total of 30 cases. Which of the following best describes what is being measured?

Accepted Answer

A)   Prevalence
B)   Incidence
C)   Attack rate
D)   Morbidity rate A

Question 3

A nurse is considering the potential for selection bias. Which of the following best describes the situation that is the nurse has encountered?

Accepted Answer

A)   Determining the population to be studied
B)   Considering how the participants will enter the study
C)   Studying cause and effect relationships
D)   Documenting results of the study B

Question 4

A public health nurse (PHN) reports an attack rate. Which of the following has most likely been reported?

Accepted Answer

A)   Number of cases of cancer recorded at a medical center.
B)   Number of people who died of Ebola in a given year.
C)   Number of beef cattle inoculated against mad-cow disease on a farm.
D)   Proportion of people becoming ill after eating at a fast-food restaurant.

Question 5

A nurse is studying the characteristics of an agent as part of the epidemiologic triangle. Which of the following is the nurse most likely studying?

Accepted Answer

A)   Human population distribution
B)   Salmonella
C)   Genetic susceptibility
D)   Climate

Question 6

Voters have recently decided to have fluoride added to the city water system. Epidemiologists now want to study the effect of fluoride on dental caries in this population. Which of the following would be conducted by the epidemiologists?

Accepted Answer

A)   Ecological study
B)   Double-blind study
C)   Community trial
D)   Screening

Question 7

A nurse offers a screening for hearing defects at a local community center. Which of the following best describes the action of the nurse?

Accepted Answer

A)   Primary prevention
B)   Secondary prevention
C)   Tertiary prevention
D)   Health promotion

Question 8

An intervention that focuses on the tertiary level of prevention is implemented by the nurse. Which of the following did the nurse most likely complete?

Accepted Answer

A)   Rehabilitative job training
B)   Parenting education
C)   Testicular self-examination
D)   Family counseling

Question 9

What is the most important predictor of overall mortality?

Accepted Answer

A)   Race
B)   Age
C)   Gender
D)   Income

Question 10

A nurse refers a client diagnosed with a neuromuscular disease to a vocational rehabilitation program. Which of the following best describes the action of the nurse?

Accepted Answer

A)   Primary prevention
B)   Secondary prevention
C)   Tertiary prevention
D)   Health promotion

Question 11

Which statement is true about mortality rates?

Accepted Answer

A)   They are informative only for fatal diseases.
B)   They provide information about existing disease in the population.
C)   They are calculated using a population estimate at year-end.
D)   They reveal the risk of getting a particular disease.

Question 12

A nurse who is studying chronic disease considers the multifactorial etiology of illness. What does this imply?

Accepted Answer

A)   Genetics and molecular structure of disease is paramount.
B)   Single organisms that cause a disease, such as cholera, must be studied in more detail
C)   Focus should be on the factors or combinations and levels of factors contributing to disease.
D)   The recent rise in infectious disease is the main focus.

Question 13

During the twentieth century, a nurse participated in research that examined the epidemiology of various diseases. Which of the following best describes the factors that influenced these studies? (Select all that apply.)

Accepted Answer

A)   Increasing rate of poverty
B)   Declining child mortality rates
C)   Overcrowding in major cities
D)   Development of new vaccinations
E)   Advancements in medical equipment

Question 14

What term is used to identify the type of epidemiologic study that is used to describe a group of persons enrolled in a study who share some characteristic of interest and who are followed over a period to observe some health outcome?

Accepted Answer

A)   Case-control study
B)   Cross-sectional study
C)   Cohort study
D)   Experimental study

Question 15

A nurse is told that a screening test has high specificity. Which of the following is the best interpretation of this information?

Accepted Answer

A)   The test provides precise and consistent readings.
B)   The test accurately identifies those with the condition or trait.
C)   The test accurately identifies those without the trait.
D)   The test has a high level of false positives.

Question 16

An epidemiologist wants to know what caused severe diarrhea and vomiting in several people at a local banquet. Which of the following principles is being applied in this situation?

Accepted Answer

A)   Descriptive epidemiology
B)   Analytic epidemiology
C)   Distribution
D)   Determinants

Question 17

A nurse is investigating a serious epidemic of influenza. Which of the following best describes the amount of cases that are being examined?

Accepted Answer

A)   50 cases
B)   100 cases
C)   500 cases
D)   Unable to determine

Question 18

To understand the causes of health and disease, epidemiology studies which population?

Accepted Answer

A)   Individuals
B)   Families
C)   Groups
D)   Populations

Question 19

A study that uses information on current health status, personal characteristics, and potential risk factors or exposures all at once is referred to by what term?

Accepted Answer

A)   Cross-sectional
B)   Ecological
C)   Case-control
D)   Cohort

Question 20

A nurse implements a program that focuses on secondary prevention. Which of the following is most likely the topic of this program?

Accepted Answer

A)   Rehabilitation
B)   Avoidance of high-risk behaviors
C)   Immunization
D)   Mammogram

Exam 13: Epidemiology